Eternally Yours
by FelgaHelzio96
Summary: Tommy Ryan boards the Ship of Dreams with his girlfriend Shannon O'Neal, optimistic to escape a life of poverty back in Ireland. But what happens when they find Tommy's 1st-class estranged older brother who's keeping a dark secret? And when the unsinkable ship sinks, can they trust the luck o' the Irish to keep them alive? Or will everything they've ever known come to a watery end?
1. The RMS Titanic

**A/N: This is the actual multi-chapter story that follows _I Can't Let Go Of You_. It starts like 1.5-2 months after the events of _I Can't Let Go Of You_. It's not necessary persay to read _I Can't Let Go Of You _to be able to understand this story, but if you want a sense of background you should check it out :)**

**This will follow the major events of the _Titanic _movie, and all the regular characters do appear in their canon roles with the addition of my OCs. However, to keep it different enough from _Titanic 97 From DVD To FFN_, I'll change a few scenes around and add some of my own... plus the main focus isn't on Jack and Rose, and there's the whole other storyline going on, so that in itself should keep the scenes different enough. **

**For anyone who hasn't read my profile before: Shannon's faceclaim is Irish actress Saoirse Ronan (even though she couldn't have actually played a role like this in 1997 b/c she would've only been like 3, I think she and young-Jason Barry would make the cutest couple ever), and Tommy's brother's faceclaim is a young-Hugh Jackman. There's pictures on my profile.**

**JAMES CAMERON OWNS TITANIC AND HIS CHARACTERS. THE OCs ARE MY OWN CREATION. Enjoy!**

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><p><em>The RMS Titanic<em>

_Thursday, April 11th, 1912. _

The RMS Titanic made its third and final stop in Queenstown, County Cork, Ireland to pick up the last of its passengers at Cork Harbour. Many poor Irish immigrants stepped aboard the grand ship, optimistic about starting over in the promise land. 21-year-old Tommy Ryan and his girlfriend, 18-year-old Shannon O'Neal, were no exception.

They had decided to leave their home town of Dunfanaghy in County Donegal, where over half of their village lived in starvation, to seek a better life in America. For a few years, anyways... they did intend to return to Ireland. Tommy had wanted to look for work in the city of Chicago, and then send whatever money he earned back to his family in Ireland. He had originally planned to travel alone, but Shannon had refused to let him go unless he took her with him. In the end, he was glad not to leave the love of his life behind. He knew the voyage would be much more enjoyable if he could share it with the girl who meant everything to him.

They stood in the inspection queue line as they waited to board the ship. Tommy wore a grayish-brown coat and a dark brown vest over his tattered white shirt, along with a pair of gray trousers, and a brown bowler hat on his head of scruffy light brown curls. His warm hazel eyes were wide with delight. Beside him, Shannon wore a simple white blouse with a long teal colored skirt, and had her long strawberry blonde hair pinned up in a bun. She also had a plaid shawl draped over her shoulders to keep warm. Her bright blue eyes gleamed in the sunlight.

"Look at that, sweet, that's a fine ship," Tommy remarked, turning to look at his girlfriend.

"Yes, love, it's a beautiful ship, to take us to a beautiful place," Shannon replied, admiring the grand ship from afar.

Tommy grinned and put his arm around her. "I'm glad you're here, sweet, I love you more than the world itself," he whispered, softly pecking her on the forehead.

Shannon smiled and snuggled into his chest. "I wouldn't have let you leave me home, love, because a life without you is no life at all," she whispered back.

All around them, Cork Harbour was a somewhat chaotic scene; passengers scurrying every which way, children screaming, crates and other cargo items being transported onto the ship, and the officers and crew members shouting out orders. It was a beautiful day, and excitement was in the very air.

Finally, after waiting for about an hour, it was their turn in the inspection line. "Names, please?" a young officer asked.

"Tommy Ryan," Tommy answered.

"Shannon O'Neal," Shannon added.

"Thomas Christopher and Shannon Maureen, traveling together from Dunfanaghy, Donegal?" the officer asked for clarification.

"Yeah, that's us," Tommy replied, as they both nodded.

The officer nodded and checked something off on his notepad. "Take your hat off, Sir," he said. Tommy removed his hat, and the officer ran a comb through his hair to check for any lice. "Clean, hold tight a moment," he said, giving him a quick pat down. "You're fine, let me check the lady," the officer nodded for Tommy to step to the side. He checked Shannon's bun for lice and then patted her down. "She's fine," he said.

Another officer was looking through their sole suitcase. "No weapons," he confirmed, handing it back to Tommy. "All clear! Board that way! Next in line please!" he yelled, motioning for the man behind them in line to step forward.

"Come on!" Tommy shouted with a wide grin, running up the steerage ramp as he pulled Shannon along behind him.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Shannon yelled, laughing as she tried to catch her breath.

They boarded the ship and handed their boarding passes to Officer Moody, and then stopped to take one last look at their homeland. Ireland was a beautiful country of green fields, blue waters, and precious memories that they would never forget. A sudden nostalgic feeling washed over them as they realized that they were really leaving, and a single tear dripped down Shannon's face as she thought about her family.

Her father, Bobby, had been extremely reluctant to let her go. However, she had insisted that she was old enough to make her own choices, so he'd had no other choice but to give in to her decision. She knew that she'd never forget the look on his face when she'd walked out the door, and she ached inside because of it. Her mother, Eileen, had been a bit calmer about it, but she too had still tried to talk her into staying home. She could still feel her mother's breath on her neck like when she'd hugged her goodbye. But what had been the main cause of that single tear, was thinking about how sad her brother and sister had been. Rhiannon, her 15-year-old sister, and Rory, her 12-year-old brother, had looked as if they were completely and utterly lost. She knew they had always looked up to her.

"Don't worry Shanny. We'll go back someday soon, and as soon as I can make enough money, we can send for our families to come to Chicago," Tommy promised her, noticing the sad expression that had come across her face. He had every intention of coming back once he was able to make a decent salary. He figured he'd be respected back home for traveling so far, and be offered better job opportunities because of it when they returned.

He thought about how much he'd miss his own family. His parents, Stephen and Margaret, were far older than all of his friends' parents. His father was already sixty-two, and his mother was sixty. He knew that they were too set in their ways to leave Ireland at this point, and with his father getting older, he also knew that they would need help getting money. Even though he had a brother, he was considered their only child. His brother Joseph, who was now twenty-five, had abandoned the family to run off to Wales with a rich friend of his.

"I know Tommy, but I'm really going to miss it," Shannon told him, wiping the sole tear away with her sleeve. She knew it would be a while before she'd see those lush green fields again.

"Let's go find our cabin, then we can explore the ship, eh?" Tommy suggested, gently pulling her along through a corridor. "It says we're on G deck, so we've just got to find cabin number sixty nine," he mused, looking over their tickets.

"All right," Shannon said, composing herself and following him. She looked around at all the passengers trying to find their cabins. There seemed to be a ton of cabins on their level of the ship, and she began to wonder if they would ever find theirs.

Tommy stopped abruptly in front of a door. "G-69, found it!" he announced with a triumphant grin.

Shannon bumped into his back. "Eye, how about a little heads up before stopping so fast?" she laughed, opening the door.

They stepped inside a small room with two bunk beds, each with a simple blanket per bed. There was a single porthole on the opposite wall. Tommy shrugged and claimed the bunk bed on the left side of the room, and put their suitcase on the lower bed. He opened it and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. There wasn't much in their bag, just their night-clothes, a tattered copy of the Bible, some old photographs, Tommy's grandfather's lucky watch, a ruby necklace given to Shannon by her mother, and Shannon's diary that she planned to use as a travel journal.

He looked at the other bunk bed across the room. "So I'm assuming there's gonna be another couple joining us," he mused, putting his cigarettes in his pocket.

Shannon nodded and climbed up on the higher bed. "Eye, it seems so," she agreed, setting her pillow down.

"Let's go up on deck, I wanna have a smoke or two," Tommy said, closing the suitcase and stowing it safely under the bed.

"All right, it will be nice to get some fresh air," Shannon agreed, climbing back down and pulling her shawl tighter around herself.

...

They reached the third class deck, and leaned against one of the railings. Titanic was now steaming west from the Irish coast and heading towards New York Harbor. There was a cool breeze that blew gently over the clear turquoise sea, and the orangey-yellow sunshine was bright and warm as it shone down on them.

"So do you really think this ship is unsinkable?" Shannon asked her boyfriend. Everyone had heard the rumors, but she couldn't quite grasp the concept of a ship being completely unsinkable.

"Folks are sayin' not even God can sink it, I think that's a load of shite," Tommy replied as he lit his cigarette.

"It's a nice ship, but anything this large would surely sink if enough water got in," Shannon agreed absent mindedly.

Tommy puffed out a dark cloud of smoke and looked around the deck. On a bench near by, sat a 20-year-old traveling artist with shaggy blonde hair named Jack Dawson. He was sketching a little girl and her father, Cora and Bert Cartmell, who were looking over the side of the ship at the propellers.

"Do you make any money off your drawings?" Tommy asked him.

"What?" the man asked, looking up from his work.

"Do you make any money off your drawings?" Tommy repeated his question.

"Oh, well, it just sort of depends I guess. I used to sell portraits for ten cents a piece on the Santa Monica Pier in California, but other than that it's really just a hobby of mine," the man replied with a shrug.

"I see, you've got quite a talent there," Tommy mused.

"Eye, your drawings are lovely," Shannon added.

"Thanks," the man said.

"So you're an American, then?" Shannon asked, referring mostly to his accent.

"Yeah, I'm from Chippewa Falls Wisconsin originally, but I've traveled all over Europe," the man explained.

"Very cool." Tommy took a long drag on his cigarette. Shannon reached up and took it out of his mouth, taking a puff for herself. He scowled at her and playfully slapped her shoulder. She winked at him.

"I'm Tommy Ryan, by the way," he said, extending his hand for the other man to shake.

"Shannon O'Neal," Shannon chimed in, accidentally blowing smoke in his face. "I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed as her face went a deep shade of crimson. Tommy bust out laughing.

"Ja-ck Dawson," the man choked out as he shook their hands. He waved the dark smoke cloud away from his face. "It's fine," he added.

"No really, I'm so sorry," Shannon repeated. She couldn't believe that she'd just done that to a complete stranger.

"Really, it's all right," Jack laughed.

"Apparently she doesn't realize she's got to blow out before she speaks," Tommy teased.

"Oh shut your mouth," Shannon rolled her eyes playfully.

Jack laughed again. "So where are you guys from?" he asked them.

Tommy spoke first. "Dunfanaghy, County Donegal. In Ireland," he replied with prideful grin.

Jack nodded and closed his sketchpad. "Are you guys together, then?" he asked curiously. He'd noted that they had different last names, so he assumed they weren't married, but he figured they had to know each other since Tommy's arm was around her waist and she'd just smoked his cigarette.

Tommy grinned again. "Eye, she's my other half, ya know," he laughed.

Jack nodded with a light chuckle. "I see," he said.

Shannon smiled at Jack. "Are you traveling alone, then?" she asked him curiously.

Jack shook his head. "No, my buddy Fabrizio and I won our tickets in a poker game yesterday against these two Swedish guys, we barely made it onto the ship," he told them as he tried not to laugh. "If you run into a funny Italian guy, that's him. He's inside in the general room talking to some Norwegian girl he's had his eye on since yesterday afternoon," he added with a smirk.

Tommy nodded. "Eye, we'll have to look around then," he laughed. Shannon just smiled.

Suddenly, something caught Jack's eye, as his gaze became fixed on the first class deck up above them. There was a lovesick look in his bright seafoam colored eyes and a dreamy expression across his face. Tommy looked up to see what Jack was staring at.

Standing against the rail, was a young lady with vibrant ginger hair pulled back in an elegant bun. She wore a lacey soft green dress with an orange flower attatched to the belt part of it. She seemed to just be staring off into the distance, and there was a distinct scowl across her porcelain-doll like face.

"Eye forget her, boyo! You're as like to have angels fly out of your arse as get next to the likes of her," Tommy shook his head.

"Can't a man dream?" Jack laughed with a sly grin.

He watched as another man with sleek dark brown hair in a black evening suit approached the young lady. They appeared to be having a brief argument, and then the lady stormed back inside, the man on her heels.

Just then, an officer walked by walking a French bulldog. "That's typical isn't it, first class dogs coming down here to take their shite," Shannon rolled her eyes with disgust.

Tommy had lit another cigarette. "They don't give a damn." He shrugged as he blew more smoke out of his mouth.

Jack grinned at them. "Lets us know where we rank in the scheme of things," he commented.

"As if they'd let us forget it," Tommy laughed. He finished off his cigarette and put his arm around Shannon. "We're going back inside for now, see you around," he said to Jack.

"It was nice meeting you," Shannon added.

"Thanks, you guys too, maybe I'll see you inside later and you can meet Fabrizio," Jack replied with a grin as he waved goodbye.

Tommy smiled at his girlfriend as they walked back inside. He knew that it was definitely going to be an interesting voyage, and he couldn't be happier to have the love of his life by his side.

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><p>Please tell me what you think of this so far!<p>

I realize this isn't your typical Tommy/OC fic, because that's what I was aiming for...I have these bursts of creativity where I want to put a completely different spin on a popular idea. Usually Tommy meets the girl for the first time on the ship (and that _is _actually the case with Shannon in my headcanon, but this is an AU of my own headcanon) and she's typically a first class girl. I've seen a few where the OC is a third class girl, though. Anyways, this is different because while their romance will be a large part of this story, there's a dark and serious plot underneath it all.

So I'm not going to beg for reviews, but it would mean the WORLD to me if you'd share your feedback. I'd love some solid concrit on this. If anyone catches any historical inaccuracies (besides them sharing a room, I'm aware of that but I'm doing it anyways) please let me know and I'll fix them!

Happy reading! :)


	2. Family Ties

**A/N: Thanks to **** kailen dot hargrove (for some reason it won't let me add the period) for following this story, you're awesome! **

**Here's another chappie fer ye!**

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><p><em>Family Ties<em>

Tommy and Shannon held hands as they walked back to their cabin on G-deck. They were tired from travelling all day and wanted to relax for a bit before joining the other third class passengers.

When they walked into the room, there was a large suitcase and a set of uilleann pipes laying on the other bunkbed across the room. They guessed the other couple had arrived but had since left the cabin again.

"Everything feels so surreal," Shannon mused with a dreamy smile as she looked out their porthole window. She smiled at the bright sunshine radiating through the glass. "I've never felt so alive, running off on this magnificent ship with you, it's amazing," she added with a faraway sigh.

"Yeah, I know," Tommy agreed. He walked over and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. "I would've been a damned fool if I'd left you in Ireland, eh?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Yes, you would've," Shannon replied with an airy giggle.

Tommy flashed her a wily smirk as they went over and sat on the lower bed together. "Eye, but do you know why I would've been a damned fool to leave you behind?" he asked her.

Shannon shook her head and rested it against his chest. "No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me," she teased him.

"Because then I wouldn't be able to do this," Tommy said, pressing his lips forcefully against hers. He gently pushed her down onto her back, causing her to wrap her arms around his neck. "Oh Shanny, you don't even know what you do to me," he mumbled between kisses.

"What do I do to you?" Shannon asked as she paused for air.

"You enchant me, every time I look at you it makes my heart melt," Tommy replied before kissing her again.

Shannon wrapped her legs around his waist as he began to kiss her even harder. Tommy slowly took out her hairpins and let her long strawberry blonde hair fall in waves against the soft pillow. He had grabbed the button on his gray trousers, when Shannon suddenly stopped him.

Tommy cocked an eyebrow at her, confused. "What is it, sweet?" he asked, softly stroking her face.

Shannon shook her head and reached up to rub her nose against his. "Wait, don't, I'm not ready," she whispered, kissing him again.

"All right, I'll be good," Tommy laughed, twirling her hair between his fingers. He sat up and pulled her up with him, embracing her in a tight hug. "You're my whole world, Shanny, you know that," he told her sincerely.

"Thank you," Shannon giggled, rubbing his back. "I love you, Tommy," she said.

Tommy grinned and kissed her behind her ear. "I love you more," he whispered. His hot breath against her neck made her cringe, but in a good way.

Shannon grabbed one of his hands and kissed his fingers. "I'll let you know when I am ready, it's not about being married or not, I'm just afraid of what it's going to feel like," she explained. "And besides, our roommates could walk in any second now," she added with a giggle.

"No, I completely understand," Tommy replied with a silly grin.

"I knew you would," Shannon said, smiling.

Suddenly, their cabin door opened again, and the other couple walked in. They appeared to be middle-aged. The man had dark brown hair and soft green eyes, and the lady had bright red hair and dark brown eyes.

The man spoke first. "Nice to meet you, I'm Mick Hannigan and this is my wife Brenna," he said, extending his hand out to Tommy.

Tommy nodded with a smile. "Pleasure, I'm Tommy Ryan, and this is my lovely girlfriend Shannon O'Neal," he replied, shaking Mick's hand.

"Which part of Ireland are you coming from?" Mick asked curiously.

"Dunfanaghy, County Donegal," Tommy replied. "What about you?" he asked.

"Castlecomer, County Kilkenny," Mick told him.

"Nice," Tommy nodded. "So are those your pipes?" he wanted to know.

"Eye, they are indeed," Mick replied with a proud grin.

"Sometimes I think he loves those damn pipes more than me!" Brenna laughed with an eye roll, walking across the room to put something in their suitcase.

"She lies," Mick replied with a lighthearted chuckle. Tommy just grinned.

"I love the sound of the pipes, will you be playing them for everyone?" Shannon asked. She was working on pinning her hair back up in a bun.

"I'd like to, I'll bring them to the general room after dinner," Mick told them. He went over and picked up the pipes, stowing them safely under their bed, before climbing up to the top bed. "I think I'll take a wee nap, all this travel has got me beat down," he said with a yawn. Brenna had grabbed her book and sat down on the lower bed, putting on a pair of reading glasses.

Tommy glanced at Shannon, who was absent-mindedly picking at the frayed hem of her long teal skirt. "Would you like to go explore the inside of the ship some more?" he offered, trying to think of something to do. It wasn't like the third class had many options for entertainment, after all.

Shannon smiled happily and stood up, smoothing her skirt. "Yeah, I'd love to," she replied.

"We'll let you guys rest," Tommy said to the Hannigans as he opened the door for Shannon. They stepped out into the hallway, where he gently backed her into a corner and kissed her again. "Come on, sweet, let's go see what other fun stuff this ship's got," he said with a wily grin.

"Okay," Shannon giggled, following him down a long corridor. "Do you even know which direction you're going?" she asked, pulling on his arm to get him to slow down a bit.

"Eye, it doesn't matter which direction we go, we're exploring," Tommy replied, laughing as he put his arm around her. They continued along the corridor until they came to a staircase. "Hey, wonder where this goes," he mused with a gleam of mischief shining in his warm hazel eyes.

"There's only one way to find out," Shannon said with a smile. "But since I'm feeling a cool breeze and smelling seawater, I'd assume it leads up on deck," she teased him.

"You always were such a know-it-all," Tommy teased her back. He ran up the staircase eagerly, with Shannon not far behind him. Sure enough, it led out onto the third class deck as Shannon had said. "Eye, you were right!" he grinned.

"It's been known to happen," she giggled.

"So do you want to see if we can find Jack and his friend?" Tommy suggested, looking around. He didn't see the blonde artist or a funny Italian man anywhere, so he guessed that Jack had gone back inside.

"Sure," Shannon replied. She started to follow him, when suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. "What is it?" she asked him. But she didn't need him to answer, because it was in that moment that she noticed it herself.

Walking towards them, was a young man in a finely tailored navy blue suit. He had dark brown hair and bright amber colored eyes. He had come down from the first class deck, and walked briskly in their direction, but he didn't seem to notice them standing there.

Tommy's eyes were wide open in shock as he stared straight ahead in disbelief. He knew exactly who that man was, as did Shannon. It was Tommy's 25-year-old brother Joseph, who had run off and abandoned his family.

"No feckin' way..." Tommy muttered angrily.

"Jesus, Mary, and quite literally...Joseph," Shannon breathed in disbelief.

Seeing him come from first class made Tommy's blood boil with rage. Even though he knew his parents were just as angry with Joseph as he was, he couldn't help but hate his brother for just running off and abandoning them. It had been three years since they had even heard of Joseph's whereabouts, and five in total since he'd first run off. And yet there he was, walking towards them, in all his wealth and glory.

Tommy remembered the day his brother left as if it were just the other day. It had been a warm summer day and the sun was shining brightly. Joseph, then twenty, had come home and announced that his friend Billy O'Roarke had invited him to spend the summer in Wales. The O'Roarke family was the only wealthy family in all of Dunfanaghy, and they owned a beach house in Wales. Mr. and Mrs. O'Roarke had always been very gracious towards the other villagers, and helped their poor neighbors by providing them with food and clothes when needed.

Tommy, then sixteen, had been sitting at the kitchen table with Shannon, then thirteen, and another boy named Ricky MacShane. Joseph had bragged about getting to stay in a luxurious beach house, and then ran upstairs to pack his things. He'd left at dusk, while their parents were still out, and told Tommy to tell them he'd left and wouldn't be back until the end of the summer. When their father had come home from the docks, and their mother from the marketplace, Tommy had told them where his brother had gone. They had been angry that Joseph didn't say goodbye, but it had been too late to do anything about it. Sure enough, summer passed, and Joseph had not returned. The only thing they had recieved from him was a letter stating that he did not plan to return at all.

Now, five years later, Tommy was seeing his brother for the first time. He could scarcely believe that after Joseph had come into good fortune, he hadn't even bothered to share with his family who lived in utter poverty. He didn't know how his brother had managed to become so wealthy, but he figured it had come to him in an underhanded way. Joseph had never been one to play fair.

If Joseph had just shared his good fortune, Tommy probably wouldn't have had to leave Ireland in the first place. Joseph's selfishness made Tommy sick to his stomach, and he clenched his fists furiously.

"How the hell did he get into first class?" he mumbled, his face reddening.

"I don't know...I can't believe it either," Shannon whispered, her jaw was numb from hanging open.

"He's done for, he is!" Tommy hissed in fury, charging towards his brother and tackling him onto the deck.

Joseph cried out in suprise as his younger brother grabbed his jacket and started slamming him against the deck. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! LOOK AT YOU! YOU'RE A FIRST CLASS MAN AND YOU DON'T EVEN THINK TO SHARE WITH YOUR FAMILY WHO'S STARVING BACK HOME? DAMNIT. IF YOU WEREN'T SUCH A SELFISH BASTARD I WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE HAD TO LEAVE IRELAND!" Tommy yelled, infuriated. His face was almost completely sanguine colored.

Shannon rushed over and pulled Tommy off of his brother. She knew that any officers walking by would arrest Tommy and not even question Joseph because of their class barrier. "Calm down, he isn't worth it," she pleaded.

Tommy scrambled to his feet and took a few steps back, but he still glared daggers at Joseph with his eyes. "What the hell are you even doing down here? Or on this ship for that matter?" he grumbled, noticing some of the other steerage passengers watching them.

Joseph stood up and fixed his clothes, scowling. "I'm walking the whole ship, I want to see it all. And I'm here for business reasons," he replied in a snobby tone. "Why are you on the ship, eh?" he asked, looking directly into his brother's eyes without even the slightest bit of guilt.

"I'm going to America so I can get a job and send money back to our mother and father, you know... the people who gave you life? I suppose you've probably forgotten all about them by now, considering you just took off without a care in the world for the rest of us. Tell me, how does it feel to be such a self centered bastard?" Tommy spat.

"Oh spew your venom, brother, but the fact remains that I'm actually worth something now. Father should be proud, I actually brought some value to our otherwise worthless family name," Joseph spat back. He noticed Shannon standing beside him. "Aw, did you two sick puppies finally get married?" he mocked.

Infuriated, Tommy decked his brother straight in the jaw. "How feckin' dare you talk like that!" he yelled. He wouldn't tolerate his brother bashing their family like that, and he was infuriated that Joseph had the nerve to even speak about his relationship with Shannon.

Joseph held his jaw and smirked. "I'd sue you for this, except I know you don't have one pound to your pathetic name," he said calmly.

Tommy went to punch him again, but Shannon held him back. "Don't, you'll be the one who gets in trouble," she whispered in his ear, trying to get him to relax. Tommy scowled and lowered his fist.

"Keep talking to me like that, 'cause guess what I'm going to do?" he asked, smirking.

"What?" Joseph asked, a bored expression across his face.

"I'm going to tell our mam and dad all about your new life as a rich man, and how you could give two bloody shites about them so long as you're drowning in wealth," Tommy threatened through clenched teeth. "For goodness sake, they don't even know where you are or if you're all right!" he added with a disgusted glare.

Joseph's eyes snapped wide open. "If you breathe one single word of this to them, there will be hell to pay. I am done with my roots, embarassed by them. I do not want to be associated with such scum as yourselves," he hissed in a warning tone of voice.

Tommy crossed his arms. "I'm not scared of you," he hissed back.

Joseph scowled and tapped his foot impatiently. "Fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back my room. I have some important business to take care of," he snapped irritably.

"What sort of business? How'd you get so rich anyways? Why don't you feckin' tell me where the hell you've been for five years, eh?" Tommy demanded. He wasn't done asking questions.

"Billy and I started our own company while in Wales. He's recently gone to America to expand the business there, and that's why I'm on the ship, I'm going to meet him. And the reason you haven't seen or heard from me until now, is because once I became a millionaire... I was too ashamed to even think about my past. Long story short, I no longer associate with paupers," Joseph explained with a shrug.

Tommy was about to deck Joseph in the jaw again, when he realized something that his brother had said didn't quite add up. He shared a quizzical glance with Shannon, who shrugged. "Wait, so Billy O'Roarke... your best friend who you ran away with five years ago... is waiting for you in America?" he asked for clarification.

Joseph nodded and cocked his eyebrow at his younger brother. "Yes, that's what I said you nincompoop. Can you not hear properly?" he spat.

"No I heard you just fine," Tommy replied through clenched teeth.

"I'm leaving now, goodbye," Joseph huffed, stalking away back towards first class.

Tommy looked at Shannon. "What the hell is he talking about? There's no way Billy O'Roarke is waiting for him in America, he isn't even alive!" he exclaimed.

Shannon shrugged again. "Perhaps he's in denial? Billy was his best friend after all, maybe he just can't accept the fact he's gone," she suggested.

Just last month, news had spread through their village that Billy O'Roarke had been found murdered in his family's beach house in Wales. Mr. and Mrs. O'Roarke were grief-stricken and told all of their friends, the Ryans and O'Neals included. Apparently Mr. O'Roarke had given the beach house to Billy to live in, and they had all figured Joseph had been staying with him the entire time. When the news had broken about Billy's murder, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan had been worried sick for Joseph's safety. Just remembering it, Tommy shook his head. He couldn't get over that even after that, Joseph still hadn't bothered to contact them and let them know he was all right.

"I don't know, there's a fishy feeling in the air," Tommy mused.

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><p>Tell me what you think!<p> 


	3. Of Liars and Lullabies

**A/N: Shout-out to Moment For Life for the nice review, you rock! And also to NoScrubs4Me for following/favoriting, you're awesome! This is a much longer chapter, and it's really just because I got carried away... XD**

**Disclaimer: Too Ra Loo Ra is in the public domain.**

**Warning: There is a part towards the end that contains a lot of sexual tension/people undressing... but there's no sexual activity or nudity.**

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><p><em>Of Liars And Lullabies<em>

"Well of course there is, we're in the middle of the ocean," Shannon teased, trying to cheer him up a little.

"You're adorable, but we both know what I meant," Tommy laughed, putting his arm around her waist.

Shannon managed a faint smile. "I know what you're hinting at. You think Joseph has something to do with Billy's murder," she said.

Tommy shrugged with a sheepish grin. "I don't know, maybe, I'm not really sure what or who to believe right now," he replied. "I'm still in a wee bit of shock, it's been five years and we just happen to be on the same ship," he added, shaking his head and running his hand across his fluffy light brown hair.

They started walking in the direction of the third class general room. "I just can't believe he doesn't contact us for five years, and then lets our mam and dad be worried sick after the news of Billy's murder spreads all around the village. But most of all, I can't get over that he was buying fancy clothes and probably eating like a king while we were starving back home eating my ma's potato porridge every damn day of the year!" Tommy ranted furiously, still clenching his fists as they walked.

Shannon shook her head. "That's despicable, not giving two shites about your own family like that," she agreed quietly.

Tommy nodded and rubbed his forehead tiredly. "You remember what a feckin' arse he was when we were younger, now he's a hundred and fifty times worse," he muttered with a heavy sigh.

"I remember that time he was so angry at you for catching a bigger fish than him, that he pulled your underpants all the way over your head and face," Shannon reminisced, giggling as she pictured it.

"Eye, don't remind me. That was the most painful wedgie I'd ever gotten, ya know," Tommy laughed, cringing at the memory.

"What about the one I gave you after you pulled my dress up last year?" Shannon giggled.

"Oh, that was a painful one too. Now you'd like it if I had a peek up there, wouldn't ya?" Tommy teased.

Shannon elbowed him in the gut and rolled her eyes. "Must you be so crass all the time?" she laughed, gently rubbing where she'd hit him.

Tommy smirked at her and shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? You're my lassie with the pretty assie, any sane man would love to see it," he joked, softly kissing her forehead.

Suddenly they reached the door to the third class general room. They could hear a light jig being played on a piano, people speaking to each other in various languages, and the obnoxious screaming and yelling of children running around.

"Let's see if Jack's in here, I'd like to meet this Italian friend of his," Tommy chuckled, opening the door and stepping inside. Shannon followed.

"Isn't that him over there?" she asked, nodding towards the far left side of the room. A man with shaggy blonde hair was standing against the wall as he spoke to another man with dark hair, who was leaning on the opposite wall.

"Good eye, Shanny, I think it is," Tommy said, grinning as he motioned for her to follow him.

They made their way through the crowded room, and as they got closer, Tommy could see a brown sketchpad tucked under the blonde man's arm. It was definitely Jack, and he knew the other man was most likely his friend Fabrizio.

Jack glanced up from his conversation for a second, and he noticed them walking across the room. He immediately waved them over with a large grin spreading across his face.

"Hey again!" he exclaimed.

"Hello there," Tommy laughed.

"Hi," Shannon giggled.

"Fabri, this is Tommy Ryan and his girlfriend Shannon O'Neal. They just boarded this afternoon in Ireland, I met them on deck before," Jack said, looking at his friend. "Guys, this is Fabrizio De Rossi, my partner in crime," he added with a chuckle.

"E 'così bello conoscerti... is a' so nice to meet you," Fabrizio said, shaking Tommy's hand and lightly kissing Shannon's.

"You as well," Tommy replied.

"It's a pleasure," Shannon added.

"So are you enjoying the voyage so far?" Jack asked them curiously.

"Yeah," Tommy nodded.

"The ship is nice, eh?" Fabrizio grinned.

"Yeah, it's an Irish ship," Tommy replied with a prideful grin.

"Is English, no?" Fabrizio was confused.

"No, no, it was built in Ireland. Fifteen thousand Irishmen built this ship, solid as a rock, big Irish hands," Tommy explained.

"Oh, I see," Fabrizio nodded his understanding. "So a' do all Irish people have big hands?" he wanted to know, his warm hazel eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Oh no, he was just joking," Shannon laughed.

"Oh!" Fabrizio cracked a smile. "He joking, I get it now."

Jack chuckled. "Try to keep up ragazzo mio," he said, playfully nudging his friend's arm.

Fabrizio scowled. "Hey you no hit me," he joked, shoving him into the wall.

Suddenly, his eye was caught by something, and he fixed his gaze across the room. Next to the door, a girl with blonde hair pulled into a tight bun and bright blue eyes was standing with her parents. She was wearing some sort of traditional costume that consisted of a long navy blue skirt with three stripes at the bottom, and a black sweater over a white blouse with blue flowers. She also appeared to be wearing a lacey white bib-looking thing around her neck.

"What'cha lookin' at, Fabri?" Jack teased.

"That is Helga Dahl, she's a' from Norway," Fabrizio explained with a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Why don't you ask her to come over here, then?" Jack laughed, shoving his friend forward.

"Okay I ask her, but a' just so you know, she a' no really speak English," Fabrizio said. He let out a nervous chuckle and cleared his throat. "Hey, Helga!" he yelled across the room.

She turned to see who had yelled her name, and then smiled as Fabrizio waved her over. She walked across the room towards them, stopping directly in front of Fabrizio, before looking down at her feet shyly.

Fabrizio held both of her hands in his own. "Helga, I want you to a' meet i miei amici...my friends," he said.

Helga looked up and smiled at them. "Hei," she said softly. She glanced across the room, to see that her father was still watching her closely from the doorway. She sighed, he was always hovering. "Helga Dahl," she added.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jack Dawson, Fabrizio's lifeline," Jack said with a smirk, shaking her hand.

"I'm Tommy Ryan," Tommy said as he tipped his bowler hat.

"Shannon O'Neal," Shannon said, also shaking her hand.

"Hei," Helga repeated, still smiling.

Just then, a group of people got up from a nearby bench to go walk out on the deck. Jack seized the opportunity right away by sitting down in the middle of the bench. "Let's all sit and get to know each other a little better," he suggested.

Fabrizio sat on the other side of the bench, directly behind Jack. He patted the seat next to him for Helga, who still felt a bit shy as she lowered herself onto the bench. "Is a' great idea Jack," Fabrizio agreed. Tommy and Shannon sat down next to Jack.

"So I've got a question, how did you two meet?" Jack asked curiously, directing his question at the Irish sweethearts.

"Honestly, I don't even remember," Tommy replied, laughing as he wrapped his arm around Shannon's waist.

"We've just always known each other," Shannon explained, smiling happily as she looked into Tommy's eyes.

"So you a' grow up together, yes?" Fabrizio wanted to know.

"Yeah," Tommy said. Just then, a thought popped into his head. "Wait, I think I do remember how I met her. I was eight years old, a mischevious sneaky little bugger who was always looking for trouble. One day, all of us kids were playing on the beach, and a certain five year old didn't realize that her swimsuit was stuck up her arse-" he started, but was cut off by Shannon elbowing him in the ribcage. "-anyways, being the instigator I was, I went over and pulled it out for her. Instead of thanking me for relieving her discomfort, she kicked me in the stomach," he finished.

"That is SO not how we met!" Shannon exclaimed indignantly. "I had collected a big pile of seashells, and you came over and kicked them back into the ocean when the tide came in," she corrected him.

"Well if you want to tell the real story, sure, but I like mine better," Tommy said with a wily smirk. Shannon rolled her eyes.

Jack bust out laughing and clapped his hands. "That's great, that's so cool. It sounds like you two have quite the history," he commented.

Fabrizio smiled happily. "You two are molto divertente...very funny," he said.

Tommy grinned at both of them. "So Fabrizio, how did you meet Helga?" he inquired.

Jack chuckled at his question, eagerly awaiting Fabrizio's response. "Yeah, how did you meet her? You just got on the ship yesterday," he wanted to know.

"You remember when looking for 'da cabin? We pass her family in the hallway," Fabrizio replied, grinning at Helga, who was awkwardly playing with the hem of her skirt. She blushed. "I a' thought she was a bella signorina with her fair golden hair and eyes like 'da ocean, so 'dis morning I a' talk to her her after breakfast," he explained.

"Ja, han var søt, " Helga giggled, saying that Fabrizio was cute.

"That's so sweet," Shannon mused, smiling. She was a hopeless romantic.

"Sì, I a' think so too," Fabrizio said. "Helga, you are bella signorina," he added with a grin, making Helga giggle.

"How did you meet Fabrizio, Jack?" Shannon asked, while they were on the topic of how who met who.

Jack grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, as I said before, I'm a travelling artist. I was all on my own by the time I was fifteen, so I left Wisconsin and explored the world, drawing anything and everything that I felt represented the meaning of life. On my travels in Europe, I ended up in a small town in Italy. I was hungry and tired, and ended up falling asleep near a tiny villa. I was woken up by the landlady, Maria, who insisted that I stay the night for free and eat some food. As it turned out, she had a son helping her run the place, who aspired to someday go to America. Fabrizio. We became fast friends, as in literally overnight, and he wanted to travel with me. We've been all over the place together, and now here we are," he explained with a shrug.

Fabrizio chuckled and sat back against the bench. "Sì, is true," he chimed in.

"So you guys don't have any specific reasons for going to America, then?" Tommy asked.

"Not really, I'd like to see what's in New York City and maybe settle down there, I'd only been there for a short time on my travels and I really liked it," Jack replied.

"I go to America to be a millionaire," Fabrizio piped up with a hopeful grin.

Jack chuckled and slapped his friend's arm. He looked over at Tommy and Shannon again. "Why did you guys flee the Emerald Isle?" he wanted to know.

Tommy shook his head sadly. "Lots of poverty over there. More than half our village lived in starvation, with most of the rest of us just barely scraping by. My mam and dad are older, and I wanted to look for a job in Chicago so I can send money back to 'em. Shanny here is tagging along because she insisted that she'd miss me too much. We have every intention of returning to Ireland in a few years, though, it's a beautiful place," he explained.

Shannon nodded. "Yeah, as much as I miss it over there, I know we'll go back soon enough. Plus I've always wanted to see what life was like in a big American city such as Chicago," she added. "So Helga, what is your family coming across the ocean for?" she asked curiously.

In her best broken English, along with the use of some hand gestures, Helga smiled and explained that she was traveling to Minnesota with her parents. Most of her father's side of the family was already there, and had built a large dairy farm property called Dahlgård where they all lived together. She said that she and her parents were going to live there, too, and she was excited to see all of her cousins. Her cousins had told her that Minnesota was very similar to where they lived in Norway; it was cold, and they had already seen the Northern Lights twice. She also told them how her uncle had brought over a few of their goats from Norway, and one of the goats had just had babies, so she was excited to play with the baby goats.

"Aww, my aunt Eilís had a goat once, but then it ran away...it was very sad," Shannon told her.

"Oh, nei!" Helga exclaimed and shook her head. Even though she couldn't speak English very well herself, she could understand it to a certain extent.

"I remember it ran away when your cousin Finnán opened the gate," Tommy smirked.

"Can't trust goats, I guess," Jack mused, laughing.

"Maybe 'da goat just no like your cousin," Fabrizio suggested.

"Either that or he was sick of Shannon feeding him potatoes," Tommy agreed with a devilish smirk, causing his girlfriend to glare at him. "Man, I'm starving," he commented, rubbing his stomach.

"Yeah, I could go for some food," Jack agreed.

Finally, it was time for all of the steerage passengers to head into the dining saloon for dinner. They all sat down together at a table in the back of the room, and were soon joined by Helga's parents. Olaf Dahl was a fierce looking man with a very fluffy light gray mustache, piercing blue eyes like his daughter's, and a full head of shaggy whitish-blonde hair underneath his cap. He was very protective of his only daughter, and constantly hovered over her. Johanne Dahl was nearly a head shorter than her husband, and didn't speak much. She had softer blue eyes and graying blonde hair pulled back in a bun.

They were also joined by a couple named Bert and Lauren Cartmell from England, and their 6-year-old daughter Cora. Cora had dark brown hair and a smile that could light up the darkest of rooms.

The steerage dining saloon was a spacious room with many tables, but appeared incredibly crowded due to all the strangers packed together. They were serving a small variety of dinner choices including soup, biscuits, boiled potatoes, and roasted pork.

"Hi, I'm Cora," the little girl announced to everyone, her small brown pools locking with Jack's bright seafoam ones.

"I'm Jack," Jack said with a smile, shaking her tiny hand across the table. He recognized her as the little girl who had been looking at the propellers with her father that he'd sketched that afternoon.

"You have pretty eyes," Cora told him.

"Thanks." Jack grinned. "So do you," he told her. Cora beamed.

Tommy took a large swig of beer and glanced over at Shannon. "I'd order the potatoes, except I'm bloody sick of the taste," he joked, tickling her foot under the table.

Shannon smiled and kissed him behind his left ear. "I think I'll get soup, it's been forever since I've had it," she said, softly rubbing his knee.

Fabrizio and Helga were making goo-goo eyes at each other across the table, and Fabrizio accidentally drooled a little bit of his beer onto his white shirt, making Helga giggle. Olaf glared at them, daring Fabrizio with his eyes to try and touch his daughter.

"Uh-oh, I a' make a mess," Fabrizio chuckled, dabbing at his shirt with a napkin.

"Du er silly," Helga giggled again, taking a spoonful of hot soup.

"Grazie," Fabrizio said with a wink. Helga smiled and continued to dreamily stare into his warm hazel eyes.

"Helga," Olaf warned, adjusting his gold-rimmed reading glasses, before pulling out some Norwegian newspaper he'd been looking at earlier.

"Jeg beklager, Pappa," Helga said, shyly looking down at her lap.

One of the waiters came by, and they all ordered their food. Jack tapped his fingers on the hard wooden surface of the table. "So we know each other a bit better in regards as to why we're all on the ship, let's find out some more stuff. How old are you guys?" he asked, directing his question at Tommy, Shannon, and Helga.

Tommy smiled. "I'm twenty-one," he answered.

"Eighteen," Shannon added.

"Meg også!" Helga chimed in, saying that she was also eighteen.

"Really?" Shannon asked, smiling happily at the Norwegian girl. Even though Helga didn't really speak English, Shannon thought she seemed like she'd be a good friend. It would be nice having another girl to talk to while Tommy talked to Jack and Fabrizio, she thought.

"Ja!" Helga exclaimed, returning the smile.

"How about you Jack? Fabrizio?" Tommy inquired.

"I'm twenty," Jack replied.

"Nineteen," Fabrizio grinned.

"Cool," Tommy smiled and took another swig of his beer.

"I'm six," Cora piped up.

"You don't look a day over five, lass," Tommy joked, making the little girl smile.

About twenty minutes later, their food arrived, and everyone scarfed it down quickly because they were all so hungry. After he finished eating, Jack stood up from the table. "I'm gonna go out on deck and have a smoke," he told them. "It was nice meeting all you guys, see you in the cabin Fabri," he added, taking a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it with his last match, before walking out of the dining saloon.

Fabrizio waved after Jack. "See you!" he called.

Mr. and Mrs. Dahl stood up. "Vi går tilbake til hytta vår." Olaf put his hand on Helga's shoulder, telling her that they were going back to their cabin.

Helga flashed her father a pleading look. "Kan jeg bo med Fabrizio?" she asked. She wanted to stay at the table a bit longer with Fabrizio.

Olaf grumbled under his breath and shook his head. "Nei," he snapped, pulling her out of her seat. He didn't like the idea of his precious only daughter running around with a man she'd just met, as he didn't know the young man's motives. He gently shoved her forward after her mother, and she shot Fabrizio an apologetic look.

Fabrizo managed a soft smile. "I see you tomorrow, bella Helga!" he called, waving.

Even the Cartmells were slowly rising out of their seats. Bert and Lauren said that they had heard some of the Irish passengers had instruments, and were going to play party music in the general room, and that there would be plenty of beer. They said that they were going to let Cora dance to a few songs to tire her out for bedtime. Tommy nodded and told them about Mick Hannigan, their roommate, who planned to play his pipes.

"Are you going?" Lauren wanted to know.

"I don't know," Tommy shrugged. "Wanna go, Shan?" he asked his girlfriend.

"I'm beat, but I suppose we could if you want to," Shannon replied with a shrug. She didn't really care either way.

"Nah, there's gonna be other parties I'm sure. I'm tired too, I'll just go out and have a ciggie and then we can go back to our cabin," Tommy decided with a yawn.

"Fine with me," Shannon agreed, smiling.

Tommy grabbed his coat that he'd draped over the back of the chair. "Hey, looks like Fabrizio left," he commented, nodding towards their empty seats.

Shannon shrugged and picked up her beer glass for one last sip. "I think he said something about going for a walk," she said, setting her glass back on the table and following him out of the dining saloon.

"Shite, I completely missed that," Tommy laughed.

"Eye, well listen better," Shannon teased.

When they reached the deck, Jack was sprawled out on a bench, smoking his cigarette and looking at the stars. Not wanting to disturb him, they went to a different corner of the deck.

"He looks relaxed," Tommy mused, lighting his cigarette.

"Yeah, he does," Shannon agreed. "Give me a drag before you finish that," she told him.

"Sure, just a minute," Tommy replied, blowing a cloud of gray smoke into the chilly night air.

Shannon went over and leaned against the rail. "The sea looks so calm, it's such a beautiful dark teal color, and the breeze feels nice. I bet it'd feel wonderful to sleep out here," she mused with a dreamy look in her eyes.

Tommy joined her and handed her his un-finished cigarette. "Here, take a puff," he said. He looked out on the ocean as well. "It's strange, the ocean we're sailing on is the same one we used to play in as kids back in County Donegal...yet it's taking us so far away," he commented with a nostalgic expression across his face.

Shannon had taken a quick drag and handed the cigarette back to him. "I never realized how big the Northern Atlantic really was," she said, sounding sad.

Tommy put his arm around her and rubbed her back gently. "Come on, sweet, we'll go back to our cabin," he said, throwing the cigarette overboard and leading her back inside the ship.

Shannon nodded tiredly. "Eye, okay," she agreed, as they walked down to G-deck.

Tommy opened the door to their cabin and they went inside to get changed into their nightclothes. "Want me to leave the room? Or can I watch?" he teased.

Shannon grabbed her nightdress out of their sole suitcase. "I don't care, you can watch if you'd like," she winked at him. She pulled her skirt off and started unbuttoning her blouse, slowly undressing herself until she was only in her underwear.

"You're a goddess, you are," Tommy whispered with a wily smirk.

"Am I?" Shannon giggled and pulled her nightdress over her head.

"Eye," Tommy laughed. He threw off his coat and unbuttoned his trousers, letting them fall around his ankles, exposing his underpants. Then he slowly unbuttoned his vest, leaving just his white shirt underneath. He noticed Shannon blushing bright red as she pretended to be looking at the floor. "I know you want this," he told her with a sly grin.

"Em..." Shannon awkwardly scratched the side of her face. She took out her hairpins and stored them safely in the pocket of her skirt so she'd have everything she needed all together when she put her clothes back on in the morning. Tommy just smirked again.

Shannon grabbed her diary out of the suitcase and crawled into bed. She flipped to the next clean page, and groaned loudly. "Oh shite, I knew I was missing something! I lost my pen," she said, slamming the diary shut.

Tommy laughed and kneeled down beside her bed. "Don't worry, sweet, I nicked this off the deck outside. Someone must have dropped it," he said, handing her a pen.

"I could kiss you right now," Shannon smiled, opening her diary again.

"Then why don't you?" Tommy smirked, leaning in close to her face.

"Because I want you to kiss me first," Shannon said, backing away from him.

"Eye, so you want me to come get you, eh?" Tommy asked, climbing onto the bed with her and kissing her hard on the lips. He started to tickle her and she tried desperately to squirm out of his grip, giggling hysterically as she tried to slap him off of her.

Finally after about ten minutes of blissful agony, Tommy stopped, leaving her panting as she tried to catch her breath. "You absolute arse!" Shannon exclaimed, hitting his arm.

Tommy bust out laughing. "You loved every minute of it and you know it," he argued, softly stroking her hair.

"Anyways," Shannon interjected with a smile. "I'm going to write about today's adventures in my diary now," she said, opening the diary and writing the date at the top of the page.

"Okay," Tommy said. "I'll just sit next to you and watch," he told her.

She smiled at him and started writing:

_April 11th 1912_

_Today Tommy and I boarded the Titanic. I'm starting to really miss Ireland and my family but we met some really cool people, and the ship is wonderful. The skies are clear and the ocean is so blue... it's beautiful out here._

_As much as I feel homesick and nostalgic, I can't wait to see what America is like._

_That's all for now,_

_Shannon Maureen O'N._

"There," she said with a satisfied nod.

"That's all you're gonna write?" Tommy tisked at her. "Let me add something," he insisted.

"Okay, go ahead," Shannon handed him the diary, a bit uneasily.

_P.S... Tommy is a god. _

"There, now it's complete." Tommy smirked.

"I can't believe you just wrote that!" Shannon giggled.

Tommy laughed and pulled her closer to him, kissing her forehead. "So I was thinking, about tomorrow..." he started, looking unsure of himself.

Shannon cocked an eyebrow. "What about tomorrow?" she asked curiously.

"This whole Joseph thing, it's strange... I think we should try and sneak up there," Tommy said.

"Like, sneak up to first class? To do what, spy on him?" Shannon inquired.

"Yeah. What do you think?" Tommy wanted to know.

"I suppose... but what if we get caught?" Shannon looked a bit uneasy about the idea of breaking the rules.

"I don't know yet, we'll figure it out after breakfast or something," Tommy decided, yawning tiredly. It was only about 7:30, but they were exhausted after travelling all day. "I'm gonna get some sleep, night Shanny," he whispered, kissing her softly before crawling out of her bed and climbing up the ladder onto his own.

...

Tommy lay awake in the top bed, staring at the ceiling. He kept tossing and turning as he tried to get comfortable in the tiny bed. His mind wandered to thoughts of his brother, and his extreme fury towards him for abandoning them with not even a shred of guilt. He knew that his brother had always been very ambitious and viewed himself superior to the other village children, but he'd never expected him to completely disown his family and keep all of his wealth to himself. That was low, Tommy thought, even for someone as shallow as Joseph.

Then there was the whole Billy O'Roarke thing. Was Joseph delusional? Or were the two of them playing some sort of sick game where Billy really was still alive? Tommy couldn't answer that question, but he swore to figure it out.

Just then, he could hear a soft sniffling as if a girl was crying into her pillow, and he peeked his head over the side of the bunk. "What's the matter, Shanny?" he asked his girlfriend worriedly. He didn't know what had caused her sudden distress, but it pained him to hear her crying like that.

Shannon looked up at him and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her frayed white nightdress. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, and she sniffled again. "I...I don't like this," she managed to choke out. She looked exhausted, yet something was obviously keeping her awake.

"What don't you like?" Tommy asked in a whispery breath, sitting up in his bed.

"I-I haven't had a bed to myself since I was three years old. I've always shared with Rhiannon. I don't like being down here all alone, I-I'm cold, and I miss my little sister. A-And now I've put poor Rhiannon through this, too, now she is cold and alone and afraid b-because I left her...I'm a horrible sister," Shannon continued to weep softly into her pillow.

Her family had been so poor back in Ireland, that Shannon had never had the luxury of her own bedroom, much less her own bed. For as long as she could remember, her little sister had always been pressed into her side, snoring softly into the darkness. Shannon cried harder, remembering the look on Rhiannon's face the night before. The last night they had slept in her bed together. She could still see the peeling periwinkle paint of their tiny bedroom, still feel the soft floral sheets of the bed, and still smell the mixture of must and vegetables that lingered throughout her family's run-down cottage.

Tommy had been to the O'Neal cottage on several occasions. They were one of the poorest families in the village. Tommy remembered how whenever Shannon would come to his house, she was always hungry because her parents could only afford two meals per day; breakfast and supper. His own family wasn't much better off, but his parents could at least afford to feed him until he was mostly full. While the O'Neals were poor in terms of money, they were quite wealthy when it came to family relationships. Tommy had always been a bit jealous at how close her family was, since his own had seemed to be crumbling around him ever since Joseph had left. He knew that Shannon and Rhiannon were as close as two sisters could possibly be, and he hated seeing her suffer like this.

"Shh, sweet, it's okay," Tommy whispered, climbing down the ladder and crawling into the lower bed beside her. It was a tight squeeze, but Tommy was able to fit up against the wall. "I know you don't wanna be alone in the bed, so I'll stay right here," he promised, soothingly stroking her long strawberry blonde hair that was sprawled out on the pillow.

"I-I'm a horrible sister," Shannon repeated through shuddering sobs.

"No, no, sweet. Don't say that. Rhi doesn't think you're a bad sister for leaving, she just wants you to be happy. She'll be just fine, and so will you, because there is absolutely nothing to fear with me right here next to you," Tommy said soothingly.

Shannon didn't say anything, but she scooted closer and snuggled against his chest, blowing her nose into his nightshirt. Tommy noted that she seemed a bit more content being snuggled up against him, but she still wasn't asleep. "Want me to tell you a story like your dad used to tell?" he tried, remembering Bobby O'Neal's fantastical tales of battling dragons and saving princesses and being outsmarted by leprechauns on the beautiful island of Éire.

Still, Shannon didn't speak, but she did manage a weak nod. Tommy grinned to himself, happy to be holding her in his arms, and began his story. "All right, so once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Seana. She had fair strawberry blonde hair and eyes as blue as the sea. She was the prettiest girl in all of Éire. One night, an evil dragon named Joseph stuck his head through her bedroom window and kidnapped her, carrying the poor princess off into the night to his dark lair, where he planned to eat her for supper," he began, waiting for her reaction. He thought naming the dragon after his brother would be a good fit.

Shannon clung tighter to his shirt and buried her face in his chest. Tommy chuckled softly and stroked her face. "The king and queen didn't know what to do, but luckily for them, the brave knight named Timothy knew exactly how to handle the situation. Not only was he brave, but he was also very handsome. He had fluffy light brown curls atop his head and the most charming hazel eyes you ever did see. He was in love with the princess, and told the king that if he saved her, he wanted to marry her," he said, pausing again to see if she'd catch on to what he was doing.

He looked down to see her smiling faintly into his shirt. "If it wasn't obvious enough already, I'm making the story about us," he whispered. "I've always wanted to rescue you from an evil dragon," he added, softly kissing the top of her head. It was true, as a young lad, he'd always dreamed of sweeping the beautiful elder daughter of Bobby O'Neal off her feet.

She giggled softly and nodded for him to go on. "Timothy grabbed his favorite shield and his sharpest sword, and rode off through the hills to the evil dragon's lair. He slayed the beastly creature in ten minutes flat, before carrying Princess Seana off into the sunset towards the kingdom to marry her, oh...and they lived happily ever after, too," Tommy finished his story with a wide grin across his face.

This time, Shannon lifted her face enough to plant a soft kiss on his lips. "Tommy, could you sing to me?" she asked him quietly.

Tommy smiled and started stroking her hair again. "Anything for you, Shanny, what do you want me to sing?" he whispered back.

"Too Ra Loo Ra," she said, snuggling into his chest again and closing her eyes.

"All right," Tommy agreed, rubbing her back in a circular motion as he began to sing.

__Over In Killarney,  
>Many years ago,<br>My Mother sang a song to me  
>In tones so sweet and low;<br>Just a simple little diddy,  
>In her good old Irish way,<br>And I'd give the world to hear her sing  
>That song of hers today.<em>_

__Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,  
>Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Hush now don't you cry,<br>Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,  
>Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, It's an Irish lul-la-by!<em>_

__Oft, in dreams I wander  
>To that cot again.<br>I feel her arms a-hugging me  
>As when she held me then.<br>And I hear her voice a humming  
>To me as in days of yore,<br>When she used to rock me fast asleep  
>Outside the bedroom door.<em>_

____Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,  
>Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Hush now don't you cry,<br>Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,  
>Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, It's an Irish lul-la-by!<em>___

______Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,  
>Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Oh Shanny please don't cry!<br>______

Tommy looked down at Shannon to see if his song had worked. She was breathing softly, and there was an expression of utter bliss across her tear-stained face. He smiled and gently wiped the tear streaks away, kissing the top of her head again. Just as he was about to close his eyes, hers opened again.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," she whispered.

"And I don't know what _I'd _do without _you_," he whispered back.

Shannon's eyes closed again and she nuzzled her head into his chest. Tommy watched her for a few moments, wondering how in the world he'd been fortunate enough to capture the heart of the sweetest girl in their village, until his own eyes could stay open no longer. Both of them drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

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><p>Tell me what you think!<p> 


	4. Sneaky Shenanigans

**A/N: I'd like to thank spikessweetgirl75, NoScrubs4Me, Moment For Life, and the guest reviewer Olivia for their nice reviews! Enjoy this next chapter :)**

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><p><em>S<em>_neaky Shenanigans_

_Friday, April 12th, 1912._

The following morning, Shannon's eyes slowly fluttered open, and she found herself in a warm embrace with Tommy. She faintly remembered how he'd sung her to sleep, and smiled to herself as she gently stroked the side of his face. Tommy opened his eyes at her touch.

"Sleep all right, Shanny love?" he asked softly, stroking her sweaty strawberry blonde hair that was sprawled out against their pillow.

"Yeah I did, especially after you sang to me," she replied quietly, pecking him on the lips.

Tommy grinned and rolled over on top of her, intensifying the kiss. "I'm starving, but I think these sugary sweet lips of yours probably taste better than anything they'll be serving down at breakfast," he mumbled between kisses.

Shannon smiled against his lips, linking her arms around his neck. "I wish we could just lay in bed all day like this," she giggled as she ruffled his bedhead of light brown curls.

Just then, they heard Mick grumble sleepily from across the room. "You two mind? Still trying to sleep." He rolled over onto his side and huffed. Below him, Brenna hadn't stirred, apparently unaware of the noise they were making.

Tommy stifled a laugh as he softly kissed his girlfriend's forehead. "Let's go get breakfast, we'll let Mister Crab-apple sleep," he joked, crawling out of the bed and scrambling into his gray trousers that he'd left on the floor.

Shannon swung her legs over the side of the bed and slipped on her long teal skirt. She reached into the pocket and took out a few hairpins, quickly pinning her hair up in a haphazard bun. "Eye, let's," she laughed, pulling her nightdress off over her head and slipping back into her white blouse.

Tommy finished buttoning his vest, and then grabbed his bowler hat. "Come on, sweet, I think I heard some people in the hallway saying there's fresh eggs," he said excitedly, stepping into his shoes.

Shannon's eyes lit up in delight. "Let's go see!" she exclaimed happily, slipping on her own shoes and following him out of their room.

They made their way to the third class dining saloon again, where they spotted Jack sitting alone at a table in the back. He appeared to be sketching something as he lightly stirred his coffee. As they walked closer, he looked up and smiled at them.

"Good morning," he said, picking at his piece of buttered bread.

"Did you sleep well, Jack?" Shannon asked, sitting down across from him with a sleepy yawn. Tommy plopped into the chair beside her and stretched his arms out.

"Actually, well, it's a long story..." Jack replied, chuckling as he took another sip of his coffee.

"What does that mean, Jack-o?" Tommy asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow at the American artist.

"I didn't get much sleep last night because I was busy talking this gorgeous first class girl out of jumping off the back of the ship, is what that means," Jack told him. "More specifically, Tommy, this goregous first class girl that you said I was as like to have angels come out of my ass before she'd even talk to me," he added with a smirk.

"No feckin' way!" Tommy exclaimed, slamming his hands down on the wooden table. He could scarcely believe what his new friend had just said.

"I'll let you two duke this out while I go get our food," Shannon laughed, standing up. She walked off to go find one of the third class waiters.

Jack grinned and took a bite of his bread. "It's true. Her name is Rose DeWitt Bukater," he said.

Tommy smiled and shook his head. "So why the hell was she trying to jump off the ship?" he asked.

"I don't know, she didn't really say... but she must be pretty damn miserable about something," Jack replied with a shrug.

"So how did you talk her out of it?" Tommy demanded curiously.

"I just insisted that she'd regret it if she jumped because the water was so cold, and that if she did jump I'd have to jump in after her. Plus she seemed pretty tentative about it, she had plenty of time to jump before I even approached her, so I had a feeling she wouldn't have done it anyways," Jack explained calmly.

"So then what happened after that?" Tommy wanted to know, a twinkle of disbelief in his eyes.

"Well I started to pull her back over, but then she slipped and I had to save her, and we sort of landed in a heap on the deck. Some officers came running because they heard her screaming and caught us in our unfortunate position. Of course the Master-At-Arms was called and I got handcuffed for 'trying to take advantage' of her. Then her fiancé came out on deck and started yelling at me, but Rose saved my ass. She made up a story about leaning too far over to see the propellers and slipping. So they all thought I was a hero...which I guess I sort of was. Rose and I had a silent agreement, since I didn't tell them she'd been trying to commit suicide, she dismissed the false accusations of those nosy officers. Her fiancé completely changed his attitude and invited me to dinner in first class for tonight...he still seemed snobby but he did also seem to be genuinely grateful," Jack told him, still smirking as he ate his breakfast.

Just then, Shannon came back to the table carrying two plates of eggs and buttered bread. She set one of them down in front of Tommy, who was staring at Jack with his eyes wide and mouth agape.

"The waiter's bringing us tea and some porridge," she said. "What in the world did I miss?" she asked with a smile, noticing the looks on her boyfriend's and Jack's faces.

"Apparently Jack-o here got invited to have dinner up in first class tonight... he wasn't joking about saving that rich girl," Tommy said, shaking his head as he took a bite of his bread.

"Oh, wow." Shannon smiled as she took a forkful of eggs. Suddenly, one of the waiters walked over to their table and placed mugs of piping hot tea as well as bowls of porridge in front of her and Tommy. "Thank you so much," she said, smiling. The waiter nodded and left to bring another passenger some coffee.

Tommy blew on a spoonful of porridge. "This is good," he commented with a satisfied nod.

Jack was finishing off his own plate of food and downed his last sip of coffee. "So what are you two going to do today?" he inquired, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

Tommy glanced at Shannon, who nodded knowingly. "We're going for a walk around the ship..." Tommy said as Shannon shifted awkwardly in her seat. It wasn't a complete lie, they would be going for a walk to get up to first class, but Tommy had cleverly left out the part about spying on his estranged brother.

"That's cool," Jack said.

"Yeah, it looks nice outside," Shannon nodded.

Just then, Fabrizio entered the dining saloon. Seeing them, he smiled and walked over, sitting down beside Jack. "Is a nice morning, yes?" he asked happily.

Tommy grinned at him across the table. "It's a fine morning indeed," he agreed.

Fabrizio smiled again, but then his expression turned a bit sad as he glanced longingly across the room. The Dahl family had just walked in, and Olaf had made sure that they took the last three seats at the very end of a crowded table. "I no think Helga's papa like me very much," he said, looking down at his lap.

Jack gently patted his back. "Don't sweat it, ragazzo mio, look... Helga's looking at you. She doesn't seem very happy about it either," he said reassuringly.

"Sì, I know." Fabrizio nodded. "I talk to her after breakfast," he decided, smiling again.

"That's the spirit," Tommy said. Shannon smiled and sipped her tea.

"So are Björn and Olaus awake yet?" Jack inquired, wondering why their Swedish roommates weren't at breakfast yet.

"Sì, they should a' be coming soon," Fabrizio replied, his eyes wandering towards the doorway. "Here, they walking in now," he said, nodding over towards a blonde haired man and a light brown haired man walking in their direction.

"Have you guys met the Gundersons yet?" Jack asked Tommy and Shannon. They shook their heads.

"Hei, Björn Gunderson," the blonde man said, shaking hands with Tommy and then Shannon.

"Olaus Gunderson," the other man said, also shaking their hands.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Tommy Ryan," Tommy replied, briskly returning the hand shakes.

"I'm Shannon O'Neal, his girlfriend," Shannon added, smiling at the two Swedes.

"Vi kommer att beställa vår mat," Björn smiled and said that they would go order their food, and walked away to find a waiter with Olaus follwing behind him.

Tommy and Shannon finished their breakfast quickly, as they were eager to come up with a plan on how they would get up to first class and spy on Joseph. By the time the Gundersons returned, Tommy had cleaned his plate and Shannon was on her last sip of tea.

Tommy grinned and stood up from the table. "Here, you guys can have our seats," he offered.

Olaus nodded and sat down with his own plate. "Tack," he said, taking a giant bite out of his Swedish bread.

"Yes, we're done eating," Shannon smiled, allowing Björn to take her seat.

"Tack," Björn thanked her, sipping his tea.

"No problem," Tommy nodded, waving at them as he walked towards the doors with Shannon on his heels.

"See you guys later!" Jack called after them as they left the dining saloon.

Once they were safely out of sight, and earshot, Tommy gently backed his girlfriend into a dark corner near one of the stairwells. "Okay, so I've got a plan on how we can sneak into ol' Joey's cabin," he whispered with a wily smirk across his face.

Shannon giggled softly. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

"Okay so we find some steward and stewardess outfits. I'll pretend I'm bringing some tea to Joseph's room but I got lost and also dropped my keys somewhere, and get one of the real stewards to help me out. You'll be in the same hallway acting as if you're going to clean one of the rooms. As soon as Joseph's door opens, I'll leave it ajar and you sneak across the hallway and enter right behind me. Then we can hide in his closet and listen to what he's up to," Tommy explained in a low whisper.

"All right, that's a good plan," Shannon agreed in a hushed voice.

"Shh, come on then," Tommy said with a sly grin.

"After you," Shannon replied with a whispery giggle.

...

They had managed to find one of the crew supply closets, and nicked two spare outfits. After a quick stop in their cabin to change, they headed up to first class. "Now I just need to find a tea cart," Tommy mused, looking around as they passed the first class kitchens.

Suddenly, Shannon spotted one sitting unattended in the middle of the hallway. "Look, grab it," she whispered sharply, nodding towards the abandoned tea cart.

Tommy quickly shuffled across the hallway and steered it in the opposite direction, whistling nonchalantly as he walked. He nodded over his shoulder, telling Shannon to stay a few feet behind him as she followed.

Now all they had to do was find another steward to help them get into Joseph's room, wherever it was. They turned around and walked down another long hallway when suddenly, they finally spotted another steward coming out of one of the rooms.

"Jackpot," Tommy grinned, motioning for Shannon to continue down the hallway without him. "Excuse me, Sir!" he yelled, approaching the other steward slowly.

"Yeah?" the other steward, a chubby man with a red mustache, asked.

"I was bringing some tea to a Mister Joseph Ryan's room, but this ship is so big I got lost, and to make matters worse...I think I must've dropped my keys somewhere because I suddenly can't find them," Tommy explained, praying that his story was convincing.

"Ah, I believe Mister Ryan's room is just around the next hallway. I think he's out right now, but I'll let you in," the other steward assured him with a jovial grin. He led the way down the next hallway, and Tommy winked at Shannon. She was pretending to knock on one of the cabin doors.

They reached Joseph's door and the steward unlocked it. "Thanks," Tommy nodded, pushing the tea cart inside.

The steward nodded and walked back in the opposite direction. "Not a problem," he called over his shoulder.

As soon as he was out of sight and earshot, Tommy craned his neck down the hallway. "Come on!" he hissed, as Shannon scurried into the room behind him. He shut the door quickly and left the tea cart in the middle of the room. "Hurry we've got to find somewhere to hide," he whispered, glancing all around the spacious first class room.

"His closet's in here, let's go!" Shannon pointed out, scurrying into Joseph's bedroom closet.

"I think I hear him coming!" Tommy whispered, rushing into the closet after her and closing the doors softly.

Sure enough, the door clicked open and the voices of two men could be heard talking in low tones. As soon as the door shut, the voices got louder. They could pick out Joseph's voice, but the other voice was unfamiliar, although he did sound as if he too had an Irish accent.

"So he's working with someone else from Ireland?" Shannon whispered into the darkness of the closet.

"Sounds like it but I don't know who the hell it is, I can't see a feckin' thing," Tommy grumbled as he tried to discern the other voice.

"Here, lift me up and I'll look through the little space above the doors," Shannon suggested quietly.

"All right," Tommy agreed, helping her to step up on his hands. He held her ankles and she used the top of the closet to balance herself. "Can you see anything?" he asked softly.

"Not very well... but there's definitely another man in the room. I think Joseph's the one on the left," Shannon whispered back, squinting through the narrow gap.

"Shh...let's just listen to what they're saying," Tommy murmured, stepping closer to the door.

_"Yes, that's what I've been telling people." _

_"And there's no one who could possibly figure it out?"_

_"Well..." _There was a slight hesitation. _"No, no I don't believe so."_

_"Why the hell did you hesitate?"_

_"Look don't worry about it. The point is, he's gone, and now we can go to America and cash our loot. We'll live the rest of our days like the happy sons of bitches we are."_

_"Yes I realize all of that, but why the HELL did you hesitate?"_

_"Shut up about it. No one will find out, calm down."_

_"Answer my bloody question or I'll do the same thing to you that we did to him!"_

_"Fine...I ran into my little brother and his girlfriend yesterday...they're traveling in third class."_

Hearing this, Shannon lost her balance and fell backwards on top of Tommy, causing both of them to miss the next thing that was said. "Mrs. O'Leary's arse!" she cried out. That was a common exclamation used by many of the kids back in their village, referring to a chubby old lady by the name of Mrs. O'Leary who lived across from the local pub.

Tommy stifled a laugh and smacked his forehead. "Shh!" he whispered sharply. They could hear footsteps approaching from outside the closet.

_"What the feck was that?"_

_"You go hide somewhere in case someone's in here, I'll investigate."_

"Feckin' great," Tommy groaned.

"Sorry!" Shannon snapped.

The closet doors were thrown open, revealing Joseph in a crisp beige suit with a brass colored bowtie. "Well, well, well... look what the cat dragged in," he taunted, harshly grabbing Tommy by his collar and slamming him against the closet door. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, his cold amber eyes gleaming with pure malice.

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><p>Please let me know what you think so far! Feedback means the world to me! :)<p> 


	5. Dark Secrets Emerging

**A/N: This chapter goes out to spikessweetgirl75, Ilma, NoScrubs4Me, and the guest reviewer Elizabeth... thanks for supporting this story, it truly means so much to me! :)**

**Carrick Mooney's faceclaim is Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson! (He's going to be in a movie in 2015 with Saoirse (so I thought putting him in this would be cool) plus I love the fact that he played Bill Weasley and that he's Irish!)**

**Warning: Mild sexual tension at the end of the chapter.**

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><p><em>Dark Secrets Emerging<em>

"Get your hands off me, you slimy bastard," Tommy growled. He kicked Joseph hard in the knee, causing the latter to let out a sharp yelp of pain.

"Not until you tell me what the hell you two are doing hiding in my closet!" Joseph hissed. He clutched his leg and rubbed some dirt from Tommy's shoe out of his slacks.

"Oh let him go, you miserable arse," Shannon interjected, glaring pointedly at the elder of the Ryan brothers. "If you must know, I'll tell you," she said. She was sick of all the pointless fighting and arguing, and just wanted to get straight to the problem itself.

"Then hurry up and tell me, you filthy wench," Joseph spat, smirking maliciously at his brother's poor little girlfriend.

"Don't you feckin' talk to a lady like that, especially MY lady!" Tommy yelled, curling his fist to deck his brother in the jaw. However, right when his fist would have collided directly with Joseph's lower lip, Shannon grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"You'd be a right eejit to do that to him right here, in his room, in first class. He'd have the Master-At-Arms in here faster than you could say potato," she scolded in a low whisper.

Joseph smirked at them. "Yes, Tommy boy, listen to your precious little Shanny. If you get arrested, you might never get to America," he teased his brother.

Tommy glared at him. "Feck off, you son of a bitch," he muttered, backing up a few steps.

"Very good, little brother, you're learning quickly who's the alpha here," Joseph patronized him. Tommy didn't respond but continued to glare angrily. "Now, I believe your little girlfriend was about to say what the hell you were doing up here?" Joseph said, looking at Shannon.

"We were spying on you, there, we admit it," Shannon replied flatly.

"That part is obvious, I want to know what you were hoping to achieve in doing so," Joseph snapped harshly.

"Why the hell should we tell you anything?" Tommy interrupted angrily.

"Because this is _my _room. In first class, no less. So if you don't, I'll have no other option but to call in the Master-At-Arms to take you to the Captain on the charges of not only sneaking into first class, but disguising yourselves as crew members, and then breaking into a first class cabin," Joseph explained simply.

"Oh yeah, say we're doing illegal things, you bloody hypocrite. From what I heard of that conversation outside, it sounds like you're aren't up to any good either," Tommy said accusingly.

"Just answer the damn question or I swear on Saint Patrick I'll have you out of here whether you like it or not," Joseph growled, a menacing twinkle in his eyes.

"Fine, we were spying because you said that you were meeting Billy O'Roarke in America. Billy was found murdered in his house in Wales, or so we heard back home from Mister and Misses O'Roarke themselves, and I think they'd know better than anyone considering he was their son. We wanted to know how in the world you could be meeting someone that doesn't even exist," Tommy admitted with a defeated shrug. He decided to calm down and give Joseph what he wanted, as another plan was already forming in his head.

"I never said I was meeting Billy in America, you must've heard incorrectly," Joseph stated quickly, avoiding eye contact.

"No actually, Joseph, we heard you just fine," Shannon piped up indignantly.

Tommy nodded his agreement. "What sort of shady business are you involved in now, eh? There's something going on here and we're going to find out what it is," he said.

Joseph's eyes grew big in shock, before flashing with anger. "You need to stay the hell out of my business and out of my life. Whatever I'm doing is my own damn business and is of no concern to paupers like you. All right? Now get the feck out of here or you'll regret it," he threatened, finally stepping to the side so they could exit the closet.

"Gladly," Shannon huffed. "Oh and Joseph, go feck a sheep," she said, before turning on her heel and stalking towards the door, stealing a little cake off the tea cart on her way out.

"Feck you," Tommy grumbled, brushing past his brother and storming out of the cabin, taking the tea cart with him.

Joseph stared at the doorway for a few seconds, shaking with complete and utter fury. It was then that his partner-in-crime, Carrick Mooney, decided to re-emerge from the shadows.

Carrick shook his head angrily. "Oh this is fecking fantastic, your little shite of a brother _does _know, and his pathetic little wench too!" he snapped, shoving Joseph against a wall.

"Relax will you? Jaysus. They don't _know _a damn thing. My brother is suspicious because he caught me in the lie that we were going to meet Billy in America, he has no fecking clue that it was actually _us _who murdered the son of a bitch. I plan to keep it that way, no matter what it takes, so calm the hell down," Joseph whispered harshly, shoving Carrick off of him and onto the parlor sofa.

"You better keep it that way, or I'll slit your throat just like you did to Billy," Carrick threatened, his fists clenched on either side as he got up from the sofa.

"That's funny, now you sound just like Billy," Joseph mused with a smirk, crossing his arms and walking to the other side of the room.

"What? He never threatened us," Carrick said, confused.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I meant how he was always ordering us around," Joseph clarified with an eye roll.

"Oh, yeah." Carrick nodded and sat down in one of the chairs.

"Yeah." Joseph leaned against the wall and lit his pipe. "Damn, we really gave Billy boy what he deserved, didn't we?" He chuckled and blew out a thin cloud of dark gray smoke.

"Eye, he deserved it all right, the self-centered bastard," Carrick agreed with a nod.

Five years before, when Joseph had run off to live in Wales with Billy, it hadn't started out as everyone had suspected. Billy had started his own trading business with his inheritance from his father called _O'Roarke & Company_, and hired Joseph and Carrick as his personal assistants. He and Joseph had met Carrick at a bar in Donaghadee, County Down on their way to Wales.

Instead of treating them like business colleagues, Billy had considered them his personal servants. Joseph and Carrick had been under the impression that they would have equal shares in the company, but as it turned out, all he'd had them do was perform degrading tasks. Billy had them at his beck and call, from organizing meetings to bringing him his morning coffee. They had been trapped under his thumb.

Needless to say, the two young men had grown tired of it quickly. However, instead of just quitting and going home, they had been deranged enough to murder the poor unsuspecting bastard in his sleep. Neither of them wanted to go back to living in poverty, and they had figured murdering Billy and taking over his business was the quickest way to get rich.

Once they had committed the crime, they knew that they couldn't hang around Wales for long before people would begin to suspect them, so they booked first class tickets on the Titanic. The reason they had chosen to sail on the Titanic in the first place, was that there were a handful of incredibly wealthy businessmen aboard, whom they hoped to cheat out of some extra cash. Namely JJ Astor and a Mister Caledon Hockley.

They were planning to expand the business in New York City by making shady deals with local companies. They were pretending that Billy was already in New York waiting for them, in an attempt to conceal what they had done. Once they racked up enough loot, they planned to retire so that they could just sit back and never have to work again, and continue to enjoy lives of luxury and wealth for the rest of their days.

Everything had been running smoothly thus far, until Joseph had encountered his brother. Tommy and Shannon knew that Billy wasn't waiting in America, because they had been among the few people who had heard the news directly from the O'Roarke family. As much as he hated to admit it, Joseph was scared of the consequences if the truth came out.

"Damn you, Tommy boy," he muttered under his breath, allowing more dark smoke to escape his lips and cloud the air of the first class suite room.

"Say something, Joey?" Carrick asked with a devilish smirk, looking directly at his skittish partner. His beady green eyes meeting Joseph's distant amber ones.

"I damned my brother, what's it to you?" Joseph snapped at him, finishing his pipe and chucking it against the wall.

"So you are nervous," Carrick mused, a wily grin spreading across his face.

"Never said I wasn't, you damn eejit," Joseph huffed angrily.

"But just a few short moments ago you seemed so confident that you'd be able to keep him from finding out what we did," Carrick reminded him, crossing his legs.

"I still am confident that I can keep them out of the loop... it's just nerve wracking that my fecking brother is even on this ship," Joseph told him, rolling his eyes.

"Yes but it shouldn't bother you if they're here so long as you can keep them quiet... admit it, Joey, you're afraid that they're going to find out," Carrick demanded, standing up and striding across the room to stand directly in front of his partner.

"I'm not admitting anything, Carrick. Now shove off or else," Joseph hissed, pushing his associate away.

Carrick simply smirked and went over to open a bottle of red wine. He could read Joseph like an old book, and it was very clear to him what his partner was feeling. He knew that allowing Tommy and Shannon to find out what they had done was out of the question.

"Just know this, partner, if you let your shitehead little brother and his silly little wench figure out what we've done...I'm serious about slitting your throat. I did it once and I'll do it again," he threatened, taking a long sip of the delicious wine and then licking his lips. It was really just an empty threat. He was only looking to get a rise out of Joseph.

Joseph glowered at him, taking the threat seriously, that their situation really was every man for himself. His partner didn't care who he had to take out to get rich, and he wasn't about to be cheated out of his half of the wealth. He'd been the one to provide the blade that they had slit Billy's throat with, after all, so he wanted his equal share.

"And I'll shoot you in the neck while you're sleeping, don't feckin' play games with me," he countered, his eyes flashing in fury again, as he stormed over and pinned Carrick against the wall. "I know what you're trying to do, you want to get rid of me too so you can have all the loot for your own sorry arse, well it doesn't work that way," he hissed, making Carrick cringe at his breath that reeked of stale whiskey and pipe smoke.

Carrick shook under his grip. "Put me down, you feckin' bastard. I wasn't really going to do anything...Jaysus," he muttered, kicking Joseph hard in the leg. He knew better than to try anything on his crime-savvy colleague, but swore to make him sorry if he failed their cause.

Joseph scowled and released him. "Get the hell out of my cabin," he hissed, pushing him towards the door.

"Hang on, hang on... let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Look, we're partners in this, we need to trust each other," Carrick protested, holding up his arms defensively. He couldn't deny that Joseph's skills were incredibly useful and that they worked best as a team.

"Fine. I'll do my best to keep my nosy brother in the dark, and I promise not to shoot you in the neck if you don't try and slit my throat, eye?" Joseph agreed, extending his hand. He'd always admired Carrick's determination, and had to admit that the man had excellent ideas. He agreed that they definitely worked best as a partnership.

"Agreed. Partners?" Carrick asked with a grin, clasping his partner's hand firmly.

"Always," Joseph nodded, feverishly shaking Carrick's hand.

"So, shall we sit with Hockley or Astor at dinner tonight?" Carrick asked, a wily smirk dancing across his wine-stained lips.

"Definitely Astor, he's the richest man on the ship, you know," Joseph decided, a crooked grin spreading across his face.

...

Tommy and Shannon had put the tea cart back where they'd found it. However, instead of retreating back to third class, they were executing Tommy's back up plan that he'd come up with after being caught by Joseph.

They were hiding at the end of the corridor underneath one of the stairwells, waiting to see if they could catch a glimpse of the other man when he exited Joseph's room. Neither of them had recognized the other voice, and they were determined to get to the bottom of whatever was going on. They had already been waiting for about 45 minutes, and were starting to get impatient.

"What the hell could they be talking about for so long?" Tommy mumbled under his breath, shaking his head.

"I have absolutely no idea," Shannon replied, tiredly rubbing her eyes. "Your brother is such an arse," she ranted, still incredibly pissed off about Joseph's snobby attitude.

"You can say that again," Tommy grumbled, still extremely infuriated at his brother for countless reasons.

"He's an arse," Shannon giggled. "Anyways-," she continued, "-we need to figure out who that other man is and which room he's staying in, and then we'll need to come up with more ideas for how to spy on them..."

"Shh, slow down, sweet," Tommy laughed and held his finger up to her lips. "Eye, you're so sexy when you try to play detective, you know that?" he asked slyly, leaning in close and gently backing her against the wall. His warm breath against her neck sent tingles down her spine, and she let out an airy giggle.

"Do you think so?" she asked teasingly, feeling his stiffness against her leg.

"Eye," Tommy whispered, kissing her softly on the lips. He intensified the kiss as he hoisted her up to straddle him. Shannon mumbled something inaudible against his lips as she started to ruffle his hair.

Suddenly, the click of a door handle being turned could be heard from down the hall, and then the creaking of a door opening and closing. Then...footsteps. "Oh shite, hurry!" Shannon panted, breaking their embrace and peering around the corner. Tommy did the same.

Coming towards them from the direction of Joseph's room, was a man in a finely tailored navy blue suit with an ivory colored bowtie. He had vibrant ginger hair and alert green eyes, as well as mischevious smirk across his face.

"Who the feck is he?" Tommy wondered aloud.

"No one from our home town, that's for sure," Shannon mused with a shrug.

He didn't look familiar in the slightest to either of them. Their curiosity was immediately sparked to crack the case of whatever dirty business Joseph and this unfamiliar man were up to.

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><p>Your feedback means the world to me! Please, please, let me know what you think! :)<p> 


	6. Convenient Allies

**A/N: Thanks NoScrubs4Me, spikessweetgirl75, Blairx6661, and the guest Ana for reviewing! **

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><p><em> Convenient Allies<em>

As Carrick walked past them, Tommy and Shannon jerked their heads back under the stairs. They watched him enter a room that was about nine doors down on the opposite side of the hallway from Joseph's room. He shut the door behind him, not even noticing that he was being watched.

"Can you see the cabin number?" Tommy whispered.

"I think it says C-23, and that would make sense if we counted the doors correctly, because on the way out I noticed that Joseph's was C-14," Shannon whispered back, squinting.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Tommy agreed. "Once again, good eye, Shanny." He grinned and pecked the top of his girlfriend's head.

Suddenly, they heard more footsteps coming down the hallway. Mr. Thomas Andrews, the ship's architect, was doing his daily patrol about the ship to make sure everything was running smoothly. He checked something off on his clipboard and muttered to himself as he passed the stairs. Just then, he stopped in his tracks, and did a double take.

"Stewards! What do you think you're doing?" He crossed his arms with a stern expression across his face.

"Uh, we were just..." Tommy stammered, cutting himself off. _Shite, we're still in these uniforms!_

"Get back to work," Mr. Andrews scolded, tisking as he checked off something else on his clipboard.

"We should probably go change," Shannon said, giggling at her boyfriend's startled expression.

Tommy nodded meekly as they slowly crept out from underneath the stairwell. They took the elevator back down to third class and somehow managed to sneak back to their cabin before any of the other passengers had a chance to see them dressed like crew members.

...

They had changed back into their regular clothes, and were now sitting on Shannon's bed together, thinking of their next plan. "That whole steward and stewardess stunt we just pulled off is way too risky to try again, and Joseph will be expecting us to try the same type of thing again anyways, so we need to think of a different way to spy on them," Tommy was saying.

Shannon was laying on her back, her legs across Tommy's lap as he rubbed her bare feet. "Hmm... I don't know," she mused thoughtfully. "However, I think that trying to hide in his closet again would be a bad idea," she said.

"Yeah, because you'll fall again and he'll call the Master-At-Arms on us," Tommy teased her.

"Ha, ha, ha." Shannon rolled her eyes at him.

"Anyways-" Tommy laughed, "-we _need _to find out who that other man working with Joseph is, because it's definitely not Billy O'Roarke," he said in a low whisper.

"So how in the world do you plan to...wait," Shannon cut herself off. "I have an idea. Isn't Jack going up to have dinner in first class tonight?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, what does that have to do with...oh," Tommy interrupted himself. "I get it. We can ask Jack to spy for us." He nodded with a wily grin.

"Not only spy, he could actually _talk _to them for us," Shannon reminded him with a sly smile of her own.

"That's fecking brilliant, Shanny, you're a genius," Tommy told her, a devilish smirk across his face.

"Thanks." Shannon let out a whispery giggle and sat up, pecking him softly on the lips.

Tommy slid himself out from underneath her legs and stood up. He reached into their suitcase and checked the time on his grandfather's old watch, to see that it was already three minutes to noon. "Come on, it's time for lunch. Let's see if we can't implore ol' Jack-o to help us out," he decided, extending his hand and gently pulling Shannon to her feet.

Shannon nodded and slipped her shoes back on. "All right, right behind you," she said, following him out of the cabin.

They made their way up to the steerage dining saloon and went inside. Tommy scanned the room for any signs of the blonde artist, but came up short. Jack Dawson was nowhere to be seen.

Tommy shrugged and nodded towards the closest empty table. "Let's just eat really fast and then we can look around the general room," he said, pulling out a chair for his girlfriend.

Shannon smiled at him. "Thanks," she said, sitting down.

"Of course, sweet. To tell you the truth, I'm really not even that hungry," Tommy laughed, plopping down into the chair across from her.

"Me neither, let's just split some cheese and buttered bread," Shannon suggested.

"Good idea, and I think I'll throw in pickles, too," Tommy decided. A few minutes later, a waiter came and they ordered bread and butter, cheese, pickles, and a cup of tea for each of them.

Shannon absent-mindedly traced circles on the wooden table as they waited for their food. "So... what should we say to Jack? Like, should we tell him the whole story? Or just parts?" she mused, looking up into her boyfriend's warm hazel eyes.

Tommy rubbed his forehead. "Hmm... I think we should tell him the whole story, but leave out the more personal details," he decided after a few seconds of deep contemplation.

"What do you mean?" Shannon asked him.

"Like we'll just give him the basic chain of events and explain why we're suspicious, then we can ask him to talk to them for us at dinner and get more information," Tommy explained.

"All right, I think that's a good plan," Shannon agreed.

After about ten minutes, the waiter came back and brought their food. They ate quickly, before heading to the general room to look for Jack. Tommy scoped out the entire area, but still didn't see him.

"Where the hell could he be?" He grumbled as he checked around the room again. Nothing.

"There's Fabrizio and Helga on that bench over there, maybe they know where Jack is," Shannon suggested, nodding towards a bench near the stairs in the back of the room, where a dark-haired man was making hand gestures at a blonde girl who was sitting across from him.

"Yeah, let's go ask 'em," Tommy agreed, following his girlfriend across the room.

As they approached the bench, Fabrizio and Helga looked up and smiled at them. "You sit down, eh?" Fabrizio offered, gesturing towards the bench across from the one he and Helga were sitting on.

Shannon shook her head. "No thank you," she declined politely. "Actually, we came to ask if you know where Jack is," she explained.

"Yeah, we wanted to talk to him about something," Tommy added.

"Oh, 'a 'dis first class girl with red hair, she come down just before lunch to 'a speak with him an' he follow her," Fabrizio told them with a shrug.

"Hun er sparkly," Helga piped up, referring to the elegant jewels the young lady had been wearing when she'd come down looking for Jack.

"Was her name Rose?" Tommy pushed, remembering the story Jack had told him over breakfast.

"Sì, he a' save her from falling off 'da ship I think," Fabrizio replied with a smile.

"Do you know where they went?" Shannon asked him.

"I 'a think she take him up to 'da first class deck, she said she want to talk to him alone," Fabrizio explained.

"Thanks, we'll go see if we can find them," Tommy said with a grin, as he turned to follow Shannon towards the stairs that led up on deck.

"Don' mention it!" Fabrizio called after them, before going back to his conversation with Helga.

...

They ascended the stairs up to the first class deck, completely ignoring the sign that read '**Third Class Passengers Are Not Allowed Beyond This Point**', and looked around for their artist friend.

It was now close to 1 o'clock in the afternoon. The sun gleamed a bright orangey-yellow color high in the sky as it radiated down onto the sparkling turquoise waves, warming them. A cool breeze blew across the deck.

"I don't see him, they're probably already on the other side of the boat deck," Shannon mused.

"So how are we gonna find him? We're not allowed up here so any passing officers could chase us off," Tommy asked with a groan.

"That's true, em...hmm...I have no idea." Shannon shrugged helplessly. She was out of ideas.

Suddenly, as if God was granting them a miracle, Jack rounded the corner. He was accompained by the same ginger-haired girl that they had seen looking miserable from her spot at the first class rail the previous afternoon.

Tommy waved his arms wildly. "Oi, Jack-o!" he yelled.

Shannon smacked her forehead. "Hush you eejit!" she whispered harshly. If there was a way to get themselves kicked out, Tommy would find it.

Luckily, Jack had noticed, and was now striding across the deck towards them. "Hey there," he laughed. "This is Rose DeWitt Bukater, the girl I was telling you about," he told them. "Rose, this is Tommy Ryan and his girlfriend Shannon O'Neal, they're friends of mine I met yesterday," he introduced everyone.

"Nice to meet you," Tommy grinned, shaking Rose's hand.

"Yes, and I love your shoes, by the way," Shannon added, smiling as she too shook her hand.

"Thank you," Rose said. "It's lovely to meet you both." She looked sort of shy but kept smiling.

"So... what are you two doing up here anyways?" Jack asked them curiously. "You do realize this is the _first class _deck."

"You're up here, aren't you?" Tommy asked with a smirk. "No, we were looking for you. We need a favor since you're going to eat in first class tonight," he explained. His expression was one of complete seriousness.

"I see," Jack replied with a nod. "So what sort of favor do you need?" he wanted to know.

"Well, it's sort of complicated, so I'll spare you the details and get straight to the favor. My brother, whom I haven't seen in five years, is on the ship. He's traveling in first class with some other man we don't recognize at all, and Shan and I think they're up to no good. The reason we think that is too complicated to get into right now. We ran into him yesterday and have been trying to spy on him, but we haven't been able to solve this mystery yet. So, we were hoping that you could try and talk to them at dinner, find out what their plans are for America and stuff," Tommy explained.

"His brother's got dark brown hair and bright amber eyes, he's tall and obviously speaks in an Irish accent. The other man is red-haired and also has an Irish accent. We don't know the other man's name, but Tommy's brother's name is Joseph," Shannon added.

Jack and Rose were both listening intently. "So you just want me to get to know them for you?" Jack asked for clarification.

Tommy nodded. "Yeah, pretty much," he said.

"Sure, I guess I could do that." Jack shrugged. "But I'm not sure how or when to approach them," he added, looking a bit unsure of himself.

"Well, there's always socializing time before everyone actually sits down at their tables to eat. If they're businessmen, perhaps Cal knows them," Rose pointed out.

"All right, so you'll come with me?" Jack asked, glancing at Rose.

"Yes," Rose replied. She looked at Tommy and Shannon. "We'll both help," she said, smiling.

"Thanks so much." Tommy grinned.

"Bless your souls," Shannon agreed.

"Wait, but if I'm gonna do this, I have one condition," Jack interjected.

"What's that, Jack-o?" Tommy asked, looking a bit nervous.

"I want to know the whole story when I get back," Jack insisted, curiosity sparkling in his bright seafoam pools.

"Fine, deal," Tommy agreed, firmly shaking Jack's hand.

"Cool." Jack flashed him a goofy smirk. "Well, I'll see you guys later then," he said, linking arms with Rose.

"It was nice meeting you," Rose said with a smile.

"You too, see you later, Jack-o." Tommy nodded and tipped his bowler hat.

"Bye." Shannon waved as they continued on their walk around the boat deck.

They stood there for a moment, before rushing back through the third class gate, as not to be chased off by the passing officers. As soon as they were back in the general room, Shannon reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out one of the little cakes she'd stolen off the tea tray that they'd brought to Joseph's room.

Just as she was about to eat it, Tommy snatched it out of her hand and plopped it into his own mouth. "'ts good, thanks." He flashed her a wily smirk.

"You arse!" Shannon exclaimed, throwing her arms up in exhasperation as she let out a faint and airy giggle.

"Eh, I can live with it," Tommy laughed.

"Well jokes on you, because I have another one," Shannon said, reaching into her skirt pocket again. Suddenly, she realized that it wasn't in there. "What the...?"

Tommy cracked a huge grin. "I stole that when we were shifting* under the stairwell waiting for Joseph's partner to walk by," he whispered slyly.

Shannon's eyes widened. "You...you...double arse!" she yelled, playfully smacking his shoulder.

"Hey, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, and this one wanted himself a cake," Tommy smirked with a casual shrug.

"You're no man, you're a pig," Shannon giggled, softly pecking him behind his left ear.

"Have it your way, a pig's gotta do what a pig's gotta do," Tommy joked, pulling her close to him and kissing her lightly on the lips.

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><p>*<span>Shifting<span> is an Irish slang word referring to the art of 'making out', at least according to the internet it is XD

This was really more of a filler chapter, but the part where they asked for Jack's help is an important piece of the plot. Please let me know what you think of this so far-your feedback is awesome! :)

...also, there's a poll on my profile for anyone who would like to vote on which (if either) of the Ryan brothers survives the sinking! (I think I already know the outcome, but I'd be interested to see your votes, who knows... I could always change my mind!)


	7. Hidden Feelings Coming to Light

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, I was working on a different story and then I had to come up with more ideas for this, so I really hope you enjoy this next update!**

**Shout out to Moment For Life, spikessweetgirl75, NoScrubs4Me, and Olivia for reviewing! I LOVE your feedback :D **

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><p><em>Hidden Feelings Coming to Light<em>

They had decided to go back to their cabin for a while. Shannon was sprawled out on her bed and Tommy was propped up against the wall beside her. Tommy smiled as he gently stroked the side of his girlfriend's face. "You're missing Ireland again," he stated matter-of-factly.

Shannon looked at him. "How did you know that?" she asked.

"I can see it in your eyes." Tommy shrugged.

"Yeah, I am," Shannon admitted with a sniffle. "I'm already starting to miss my family and living in the village, and it's only been two days. I wish we could go back to the shore and throw pebbles in the ocean again, or chase Rory through the streets because he caught us shifting, or..." she trailed off.

Tommy gently held his finger to her lips, shushing her. "Shh, I know, sweet. I miss all of those things too, that's why we're going back very soon. It's only for a few years, I promise you less than five, and we'll send for our families to come visit once we're in Chicago," he told her soothingly.

"Tommy, I'm scared..." Shannon whispered uneasily. "What are your plans for when we actually arrive in Chicago?" she asked him.

"Don't fret my love. I'm going to find a well-paying job... one that will get us back to Dunfanaghy as soon as possible. See, back home they'll respect me for traveling so far and I'll probably be offered better work when we return, so I just need to find a respectable job that pays good," Tommy explained calmly.

"But how are we even getting to Chicago?" Shannon wanted to know. "We've barely any money," she pointed out.

"Don't worry your wee pretty head about it. I'll figure everything out once we dock in New York," Tommy promised, kissing her softly. "We'll be fine no matter what because we've got each other, and you and I are invincible together, Shanny."

"Okay, I believe you," Shannon let out an airy giggle, snuggling up against him.

"You better believe me, sweetheart, because everything is going to be great," Tommy whispered, grinning as he wrapped his arms around her.

Shannon gazed into his warm hazel eyes as Tommy stared back into her bright blue ones. They both leaned in for another kiss, and as their lips connected, the two Irish sweethearts felt completely blissful in their embrace.

Suddenly, their cabin door creaked open. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph... can't I walk in here just once without finding you two shifting?" Brenna let out an exasperated sigh as she made her way over to her bed, muttering something to herself about having to share a room with horny youths. They jumped apart, beet red.

"Sorry, Ma'am," Tommy mumbled, awkwardly scratching his left ear.

"We'll leave," Shannon offered, sitting up and brushing a loose strand of her long strawberry blonde hair out of her face.

Tommy nodded in agreement. "So do you want to go sit out on the deck?" he suggested, holding out his arm.

Shannon smiled softly. "Yeah, that's a good idea, the breeze felt really nice before," she said, accepting the gesture.

Brenna just rolled her eyes and put on her reading glasses. "Eye, finally some peace and quiet," she muttered, shaking her head.

They made their way out onto the third class deck and sat down on one of the benches. Once again, the sunshine was bright and warm as it radiated down onto the sparkling turquoise waters, and there was a nice breeze.

Tommy put his arm around his girlfriend and grinned. "Have I told you yet today how much I love you?" he asked.

Shannon smiled and rested her head against her boyfriend's chest. "Not yet," she replied with a giggle.

"Well then, I love you all the way across the farthest of oceans, all the way to the moon and back, and more than me mam's berry pie," Tommy whispered with a wily smirk.

"What?" Shannon giggled again.

"I love you a lot," Tommy told her with a sly grin.

"I know, I love you a lot too." Shannon took off his bowler hat and planted a soft kiss behind his ear.

"I love you more," Tommy insisted, softly pecking her on the lips.

Just then, they heard more footsteps coming towards them. It was Fabrizio and Helga taking a leisurely late afternoon stroll around the deck. "Hey you two!" Fabrizio greeted happily.

Tommy looked up at him. "Hey there!" he yelled back, waving them over.

"So a' what you all up to this fine evening?" Fabrizio asked with a grin.

"Oh not much, just sitting around and enjoying the cool sea breeze," Tommy replied with a shrug.

"Join us if you'd like, it feels lovely," Shannon chimed in, smiling.

Fabrizio glanced over at his Norwegian sweetheart. "We sit down, eh?" he suggested, gesturing towards the empty space on the bench across from Tommy and Shannon.

Helga smiled with an eager nod. "Ja!" she exclaimed, taking a seat. Fabrizio grinned and sat down beside her.

"So how was your walk around the deck?" Tommy asked, leaning back more against the bench.

"It was molto bello...very nice," Fabrizio replied happily.

"Ja," Helga agreed, smiling as she rested her head on his shoulder.

There was an awkward silence as the four of them just sat and enjoyed the cool evening air. Shannon, who always felt a bit uncomfortable when no one was talking for an extended period of time, broke it first. "So... what do you guys want to talk about?" she asked curiously, snuggling closer to Tommy as a particularly cold gust of wind blew across the deck.

Fabrizio scratched his chin as he considered her question. "You guys believe that Jack really save that first class girl?" he wanted to know.

Tommy thought about it for a second and shrugged. "I dunno, he says he did, so I suppose I believe him since he's given me no reason not to," he said.

"Sì, an' Jack never lies so I believe him too," Fabrizio told him. "I a' just can't believe 'da first class girl come back down here to see him," he added.

"Hun er sparkly," Helga repeated her earlier statement about the ginger-haired girl being clad in the finest designer clothes and jewels.

"I know, I loved her shoes," Shannon agreed with a giddy smile. Helga nodded eagerly.

"Oh a' I almost forget, you looking for them before, sì? You ever find them?" Fabrizio asked.

"Yeah, we found 'em, thanks fer asking." Tommy smiled at him.

"Of course." Fabrizio grinned.

Meanwhile in first class, Joseph was pacing around his cabin. He poured himself a glass of wine and downed it quickly, before throwing it on the floor and letting it shatter into hundreds of tiny pieces. _I'm going mad...insane... I can't do this anymore... _He lit his pipe and grabbed his journal and his favorite fountain pen, going over to sit at the parlor room desk.

He had a secret that not even Carrick knew about; all of the dark secrets and lies were starting to get to him. His hand was shaking as he began to write:

_April 12th 1912_

_I don't know how much more of this I can take. It's only a matter of time before someone finds out what Carrick and I have done. In the beginning all of this felt so right, it was our way of survival so we wouldn't have to crawl back to a life of poverty, but now everything is starting to come apart. Every single night Billy O'Roarke haunts my dreams, screaming in my face 'But Joey, we're best friends! Spare me! No!', just as he had the night I murdered him. _

_Billy was a horrible, despicable man. He was no good friend of mine, he simply used Carrick and I to do his bidding. All I was to him was a personal servant. Can you blame us for slitting the self-centered bastard's throat? I think not. But still... a part of me deep inside regrets what I've done, and everything that I've done since. I almost wish I could just back out now before matters really get out of hand, but if I surrender now, then I'll never amount to anything. Besides, Carrick would murder me next if he even suspected that I was considering backing out, out of fear that I'd tell of our crime._

_My goal from the start was to become as rich as I could as fast as I could. This life of crime has proven to be quite beneficial... Carrick and I eat like kings, we have the best clothes, and people in the business world respect us for our success. No one else knows how we got where we are today, and it is crucial that it stays this way. But I can't help wanting out... I'm afraid of what will happen to me if I stay in this sick game much longer. Even if we manage to escape prison, we won't escape hell._

_My worst fear is that I'll go so insane that I'll admit to everything we've done, and then we'll really be screwed for the rest of our miserable lives. The guilt is eating away at me, no matter how hard I try to push it away and conceal it, I cannot. I keep remembering my family who's starving back home while I eat nine course meals almost every night, and my friendship with Billy when we were both innocent young lads untainted by ambition, and I just want to curl up and scream until my voice is gone. _

_Speaking of my family, I ran into my brother Tommy on the ship. Haven't seen the wee bloke in five years and he just happens to be traveling down in steerage with his little sweetheart, the elder O'Neal sister, and they're already suspicious of me after they caught me in the lie that I was meeting Billy in America when they knew of his murder. This whole thing is so complicated at this point, I don't think I'd be able to make my family understand even if I tried. That's why I've left them alone and haven't reached out to them all these years, I don't want to raise any more unnecessary suspicion. It's not just the fact that we'd definitely lose everything and end up in prison if anyone found out, but it's also the shame of it all. My poor pathetic parents would have heart failure, and Tommy would make sure that I never see the light of day again._

_I am a horrible, despicable, disgusting person. The part of me driven by selfish ambition keeps telling me to ride this wave until the very end and collect as much gold as I can carry, but the part of me that knows the difference between right and wrong is bombarding me with guilt and paranoia. And to make matters even worse, I'm starting to suspect that Carrick might be... in love with me. Yes, that's correct. The bloke hangs onto every word I utter...and there's this lustful look in his eyes whenever I'm around him. It's sickening. I think he's the one who's insane here, but his insanity is rubbing off on me. __I can't do this anymore, but I'm in too deep...there's no way out now._

Joseph slammed his journal shut and threw it against the opposite wall. He didn't know what to think or feel anymore. Just then, his door opened, and Carrick re-emerged with a file folder. "Here's that information we gathered on Astor last week, let's discuss our next scam," he said, plopping himself down on the sofa.

"What?" Joseph was caught off guard.

"I said, here's that information we gathered on Astor last week, let's discuss our next scam... are you all right?" Carrick cocked his eyebrows suspiciously.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine." Joseph nodded quickly.

"Well all right then," Carrick continued. "So I was thinking we go up to Astor at dinner tonight and challenge him to a game of poker," he suggested.

"And how is that a scam?" Joseph wanted to know.

"It's easy, being the card sharks we are, we'll cheat him out of all the cash he bets...which will likely be a lot," Carrick explained.

"That's a good plan." Joseph nodded his approval as he lit his pipe. "What about that Hockley guy?" he asked with a sly smirk.

"Don't worry, I have an idea for him too. I heard he's traveling with quite an expensive piece of jewelry called the Heart of the Ocean that he plans to give his fiancé. Of course he'd never bet it since it's an engagement gift, so I say we figure out a way to steal it. His old man Nathan spent a fortune on it, as in borrowed money from Hockley Steel to be able to afford it. So if that goes missing...Hockley Steel is in some hot water, and we can buy it right out from under him, expanding our business empire into the steel industry. You see, I heard that Big Nate's been making some extravagant purchases to feed his fancies these past few years, and has had to take out some loans in the company. He's already on the way to bankruptcy, so we should snatch it up before he drives it into the ground," Carrick told him, a glimmer of pure malice in his beady green eyes.

Joseph flashed him a wily grin as he blew out a thin line of cigar smoke. "Eye...ingenius," he agreed, going over and pouring two glasses of red wine.

Carrick chuckled as he stood up and walked over to stand beside his partner. "Thanks," he said, accepting a glass and taking a swig. "I think we've got good things going for us, don't you?" he asked.

"What the hell does that mean?" Joseph snapped, suddenly remembering his suspicions about his partner having feelings for him.

"It means that we'll be rich in no time," Carrick replied, confused. "What the hell did you think I meant?"

Joseph waved dismissively and gulped the last of his wine. "Nevermind," he muttered.

Carrick shrugged and pulled a photograph out of his coat. "Anyways, look at this," he said. "It's that necklace we need to swipe from Hockley," he added.

Joseph's eyes widened at the photograph of the beautiful blue diamond necklace. It was so sparkly. "Feckin' shite...that's a bloody nice necklace that is," he agreed, gently tracing the edges of the photograph. "So how are we going to steal it?"

Carrick grinned. "We can get him really drunk during the poker game after dinner and keep dropping hints about the necklace, then maybe he'll give us some details about the necklace's wherabouts. If he does, we'll figure out a way to steal it without getting caught. If he doesn't, perhaps his safe is in the cargo hold and we can go snooping around there one night while we're pilfering through some of the other first class luggages," he explained.

"Eye, that's a real good plan. I like it," Joseph agreed, clinking his empty glass against his partner's half-full one.

"I thought you would," Carrick chortled with an evil grin.

It was now after four o'clock in the afternoon and evening was quickly approaching. Out on the third class deck, the conversation had shifted to the after-dinner steerage party.

"We didn't go last night, but I heard tonight's is supposed to be even better. Apparently most of the Irish passengers were too tired last night since they'd been traveling all day, but everyone's going to be all riled up for it tonight," Tommy was saying.

"Sì, I am a' so excited... a' should be fun," Fabrizio agreed excitedly.

"I hope they play Bill Sullivan's Polka," Shannon said, smiling at her boyfriend. "Do you remember when we danced to it at Ricky's birthday party?" she asked him.

"Of course I do, it's as if it were only a few months ago," Tommy replied with a grin.

"It _was _only a few months ago, you adorable eejit," Shannon giggled, kissing him behind his ear again.

"Oh, yeah, right," Tommy chuckled sheepishly, his face reddening a bit.

Fabrizio cracked a sly smile. "You two a' make me laugh," he said.

Helga giggled. "Ja," she agreed. "Du er funny."

Another cool breeze blew across the deck. "I don't have me granddad's watch with me, but it's probably getting close to dinner time, I wonder what they're serving tonight..." Tommy mused aloud.

Fabrizio shrugged. "I a' don' know, but is not going to be as good as what Jack will be served up in 'da first class I'm sure," he said.

"Couldn't a said it better myself, they probably eat like royals up there," Tommy laughed.

"Look on the bright side, love, at least it isn't your mam's potato porridge," Shannon teased him.

"Eye, you got a point there, sweet," Tommy chuckled, shaking his head.

Fabrizio cracked another smile. "Stop it, you make me bust a gut," he snickered. Helga just smiled, confused. She'd lost the conversation when they'd started talking about the first class dinner.

Out in the distance, the sun began to set in a vibrant pinkish red color over the darkening waves. All the talk about dinner up in first class made a thought pop into Tommy's head, and he glanced over at Shannon. She squeezed his hand and smiled at him as if to say she knew what was going on in his mind.

They were both praying that Jack would be able to get some answers on Joseph's sketchy behavior, because in all truth, no matter how angry Tommy was at his brother...he was beginning to worry about his mental state. Whatever presumably illegal things Joseph and his mysterious partner-in-crime were up to, they wanted to figure it out.

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><p>Let me know what you think! :) It's 1:08 AM here but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't update this after like what...15, 16 days? LOL :P<p> 


	8. Dinner, Dancing, and Spying Part I

**A/N: Thanks so much to Moment For Life, spikesweetgirl75, ScreamingInside, NoScrubs4Me, Olivia, and penelope lemon for your nice reviews! It means a lot :)) **

**I'm SUPER sorry that this took so long to post. It's because I was originally going to make it a MEGAchapter and as it got longer and longer, I became less and less satisfied with how I was writing it. So... I decided to just keep it a regular length chapter and split up what I've written between chapters 8-10. **

***I did borrow some dialogue lines directly from the movie but not very many... obviously they aren't mine and they belong to James Cameron, but I'm paranoid so I always include disclaimers XD**

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><p><em>Dinner, Dancing, and Spying Part I<em>

After talking on the deck for awhile longer, Tommy and Shannon decided to return to their cabin again, while Fabrizio walked Helga back to find her parents. He didn't want Olaf to get angry at him for keeping his daughter too long.

Meanwhile, Jack had been invited up to first class to get ready for the big dinner that evening by Molly Brown, a nice lady that he'd met while on his walk with Rose.

"You shine up like a new penny," Molly said with a grin, standing behind him in front of her large mirror.

"Thanks." Jack let out a nervous chuckle.

"Go show those snakes what you're made of!" Molly exclaimed, giving him a reassuring slap on the back.

Jack smiled politely and thanked her one last time as he left her suite room. He navigated his way through the first class corridors until he came to a door leading to the top floor of the Grand Staircase area.

One of the first class stewards in a black tuxedo opened it for him. "Good evening, Sir," he greeted.

Jack nodded at him, smiling faintly. He didn't really know what to say, as he wasn't used to being called sir. He looked around at the room's stunning architecture; the large glass dome above the staircase, the intricate carvings around the clock, the statues at the bottom of the stairs, and the beautiful red oak panelling and iron and gilt-bronze banisters of the staircase itself, and thought that it would be an interesting scene to sketch.

All around him, passengers dressed in their finest evening attire strutted towards the dining room, their arms linked with those of their significant others. He stepped onto the main floor and waited beside a pillar at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for someone in Rose's party to show him where to go. Suddenly, he heard somewhat familiar voices, and looked up to see Rose's mother Ruth DeWitt Bukater and fiancé Caledon Hockley coming down the steps, arm-in-arm.

"Hello," he greeted coolly, extending his hand for Cal to shake.

"Dawson!" Cal exclaimed, shaking his hand. "Why...you could almost pass for a gentleman," he commented in an arrogant tone, a shocked expression across his face at how well the third class rat fit in. Ruth let out a snobbish giggle.

"Almost," Jack replied dryly, slightly offended at the other man's arrogance. "Isn't Rose coming?" he asked. He'd expected to see her with them.

"She'll be along," Cal replied casually, before he and Ruth stalked off to say hello to the Countess of Rothes.

Jack glanced back up the stairs again, and noticed Rose had just emerged on the top floor. She caught his eye and smiled at him as she made her way down the stairs. She wore a dark reddish-maroon colored evening gown and her vibrant ginger locks were up in an elegant wavy bun.

She stopped on the last step, directly in front of him. "You look dashing, Mr. Dawson," she teased him.

"And you look stunning this evening, Miss DeWitt Bukater," Jack retorted with a silly smirk.

"Why thank you," Rose said, extending her hand. Jack brought it to his lips and kissed it softly.

"I saw that in a Nickelodeon once and I always wanted to do it," he explained with a faint snicker. Rose giggled.

"Well come on, we've got some spying to do, yes?" Rose flashed him a mischevious grin. It was rare, or rather never, that she got to do something like this. Despite the presumed seriousness of the matter, she was sort of excited to get the dirt on the two mysterious Irishmen she'd seen walking around first class.

"Definitely," Jack agreed. He offered her his arm, which she graciously accepted, and let her lead him down another set of stairs behind her mother and fiancé.

They entered a large room with white walls, large windows with ornate designs etched in the glass, and potted palm trees. The passengers were scattered about the room, either chatting within their respective circles or fluttering around to talk to different people.

Rose pointed out several important people; the Countess of Rothes, who was currently talking to Captain Smith, John Jacob Astor-the richest man on the ship and his pregnant teenage wife Madeleine, which was apparently quite the scandal, Benjamin Guggenheim and his mistress Madame Aubert, and Sir Cosmo and Lucille Lady Duff Gordon.

Jack nodded along as he scanned the room for two men that fit Shannon's descriptions. Suddenly, he spotted them, and gently nudged Rose.

"Look," he whispered, nodding towards the far side of the room. There were two men standing near the doors into the dining room, one had dark brown hair and the other was red-haired, and they appeared to be discussing something in hushed tones.

"I think that's them. I remember the other day the dark-haired one walked past me on the way to breakfast and he was muttering to himself, it sounded like he had some sort of accent," Rose said.

"Let's go talk to them and find out," Jack suggested.

"All right," Rose agreed.

They followed the two mysterious Irishmen into the elegant first class dining room, watching as they walked over to talk to John Jacob Astor, who was standing beside his wife near their table.

Rose glanced at Jack. "I wonder what they're saying," she mused quietly.

Jack shrugged. "I dunno. Let's get a bit closer so we can listen in," he suggested.

"That's a good idea," Rose said, following him.

"Shh, over here," Jack whispered, motioning for her to stand beside him near one of the tables. They drowned out all the other sounds in the room so they could hear the conversation that Tommy's brother and his partner were having with the Astors.

_"Excuse me, are you the one they call JJ Astor?" _Joseph asked, striding up to the mustached gentleman.

_"Why yes," _Astor replied_. "And who might you gentlemen be?" _he asked curiously.

_"Joseph Ryan," _Joseph replied, cordially shaking Astor's hand.

_"Carrick Mooney," _Carrick piped up, also shaking his hand.

_"Pleased to meet you, gentlemen, and this is my wife Madeleine," _Astor said, gesturing at the young lady on his arm.

_"It's a pleasure," _Madeleine said as both Joseph and Carrick kissed her hand_._

_"So what is it that you gentlemen do?"_ Astor wanted to know.

_"We're businessmen," _Joseph replied coolly.

_"I've never heard of either of you before," _Astor commented._ "Are your families well known?" _he wanted to know.

Carrick was about to answer his question, when Joseph sharply nudged his arm._ **"Hush ya eejit! I specifically told you not to give away any personal information, our names being the sole exception!"** _he hissed under his breath. Carrick nodded and muttered an apology. They suddenly realized that JJ and Madeleine were giving them a weird look.

"Did he just whisper what I thought he whispered?" Jack looked over at Rose.

"What?" Rose was confused.

"It sounded like he was telling him not to give away any personal information other than their names," Jack explained. "That's sort of strange..." he mused, keeping in mind what Tommy and Shannon had said about them being up to no good.

"Oh, I didn't hear that," Rose said. "How could you hear that? It doesn't look like either of the Astors heard him and they're standing right there."

Jack shrugged and flashed her a silly grin. "I'm a good listener."

Rose giggled. "Apparently so."

Jack gently nudged her. "Come on, we need to go over there," he said.

Rose nodded. "Yes, follow me," she agreed. "JJ! Madeleine! I'd like you to meet Jack Dawson," she interjected, walking over to them. Joseph shot a sideways glance at Carrick and shrugged.

"Hello, Jack." Astor smiled.

"Hello." Jack shook his hand.

"How do you do?" Madeleine smiled politely.

"Very well, thanks," Jack replied, kissing her hand as he'd done to Rose.

"Are you of the Boston Dawsons?" Astor asked him curiously.

"No, uh, the Chippewa Falls Dawsons, actually," Jack said, looking a bit uneasy.

"Oh yes." Astor simply nodded. "Have you two met Misters Joseph Ryan and Carrick Mooney yet?" he asked, changing the subject. He nodded towards the two Irishmen, who were conversing quietly amongst themselves.

Rose smiled brightly at them. "No, we haven't," she answered. "How do you do, gentlemen?" she asked politely, causing both men to look up again.

Joseph nodded stiffly. "We're very well, thank you," he answered. His Irish accent was clear as day.

"So who might you be, Miss?" Carrick asked, curiosity dancing in his bright green pools. He also had an obvious Irish accent, they noted.

"Rose DeWitt Bukater, pleased to meet you," Rose answered, allowing him to kiss her hand.

"Yeah, it's a pleasure," Jack chimed in, shaking Carrick's hand.

Astor smiled at them. "Well, we're going to sit down; it was wonderful meeting you, gentlemen, and you as well Mr. Dawson. Lovely as always to see you, Miss DeWitt Bukater," he said, starting to lead his wife towards their table nearby to sit down.

Joseph glanced at Carrick and nodded. "Wait, Sir!" Carrick called, causing Astor to turn on his heel again.

"Yes, Mr. Mooney?"

"We were hoping you'd join us in a game of poker after dinner this evening."

"Ah, yes, I'd be delighted to!" Astor called back, pulling out a chair for Madeleine on the far side of their table before sitting down beside her.

Carrick shot a wily smirk at his partner. "Jackpot," he snickered.

Joseph just shook his head. "Bloody fool," he chuckled quietly to himself.

Jack and Rose shared a look. "What in the world could they be up to?" Rose whispered.

"No idea, we'll have to invite them to sit with us to find out more information," Jack decided. "Speaking of, do you think your folks are getting worried that we haven't sat down yet?" he asked sheepishly.

"Don't worry about them, I can deal with Mother and Cal," Rose replied with a dismissive wave.

Carrick was looking around the crowded dining room. He noticed that the seats were filling up quickly. "Come on Joey, let's go find a table," he said to his partner-in-crime. "It was nice meeting you," he said to Jack and Rose, before starting across the room with Joseph on his heels.

Jack quickly reached out and grabbed Joseph's arm. The latter looked a bit bewildered and a hint of fury shone in his alert amber eyes. "Sorry, I was just going to say there's room at our table," he explained with a sheepish smile. Rose giggled nervously.

"Oh, er, thanks," Joseph said, poking Carrick's shoulder. "We got invited to a table," he told him.

"Ah." Carrick nodded as he followed his partner across the spacious dining room.

Upon reaching the table, they could see several people were already seated; Cal, Ruth, Molly Brown, The Countess of Rothes, The Duff Gordons, Benjamin Guggenheim and Madame Aubert, Colonel Gracie, Mr. Andrews, and Mr. Ismay. Cal was glaring daggers at Rose for taking so long, as was her mother. "I was starting to worry you'd wandered off..." Cal commented coolly.

Rose shifted awkwardly on her heels. "No, of course not, darling. I was just introducing Mr. Dawson to more people," she told him. "Speaking of, this is Mr. Ryan and Mr. Mooney, they'll be sitting with us as well," she added.

Cal merely nodded. "Ah, yes, of course," he said, smiling politely as he took a sip of his champagne.

Joseph and Carrick managed faint, awkward smiles. They were still getting used to blending in with the wealthy crowd, and it was sort of awkward to be sitting directly across from the man whom they planned to run his family's business into the ground and steal his fiancé's expensive necklace.

Some waiters came to take everyone's dinner orders. They brought over caviar and crackers on little plates for appetizers and re-filled some people's champagne glasses as well.

Everyone had their eyes on Jack, as he was the only person none of them had seen around first class until now. Cal noticed the way that Sir Cosmo and Guggenheim were looking at the young blonde man, as if they were trying to figure out who he was and why he was sitting with them.

"Ah yes, I nearly forgot to introduce our guest of honor, Mr. Dawson," he announced with a nod.

"I'm honored to be here," Jack said with a sincere smile, looking directly into Rose's eyes. She blushed.

"Tell us of the accommodations in steerage, Mr. Dawson. I hear they're quite good on this ship," Ruth interjected, spreading caviar on a cracker and popping it into her mouth.

"The best I've seen, Ma'am. There's barely any rats," Jack replied, almost completely unphrased by her snobbery.

"Mr. Dawson is joining us from third class. He was of some assistance to my fiancé last night," Cal explained quickly.

"He's quite a fine artist, he was nice enough to show me some of his work this afternoon," Rose interjected, smiling warmly at Jack across the table.

"Rose and I differ somewhat in our definition of fine art," Cal commented. "No disrespect to your work, Sir," he added.

Jack waved dismissively to say that no offense was taken. He placed his napkin in his lap and looked at all of his dinnerware. There were several utensils, some that he'd never even seen before. "Are these all for me?" he asked, looking over at Molly. In the background, he could hear Mr. Ismay talking more about the Titanic with Guggenheim and Gracie.

Molly leaned over. "Just start from the outside and work your way in," she whispered.

"He knows every rivot in that... don't you, Thomas?" Mr. Ismay was saying, referring to Mr. Andrews' obsession with every little detail of the ship. This earned a chuckle from most of the men at the table, Joseph and Carrick included.

"Indeed." Mr. Andrews blushed.

"Your ship is a wonder, Mr. Andrews. Truly," Rose told the ship's architect with a smile.

"Thank you, Rose," Mr. Andrews.

One of the waiters walked up behind Jack. "How do you take your caviar, Sir?" he asked.

Jack shook his head with a dismissive wave. "No caviar for me, thanks. Never did like it much," he said, flashing Rose a silly smirk across the table. She let out a small whispery giggle and smiled at him.

"Where exactly do you live, Mr. Dawson?" Ruth asked haughtily, biting into another caviar cracker.

"Currently my address is the RMS Titanic, and after that I'm on God's good humor," Jack replied casually.

"How is it you have means to travel?" Ruth prodded curiously.

Rose rolled her eyes. _Stop it with the twenty questions, Mother... _she thought, annoyed. She shot Jack an apologetic glance across the table.

Joseph and Carrick had completely tuned out from the conversation at this point, and were now having a hushed side conversation about how to ask Cal about the necklace. Carrick scratched his chin. _"I still say get 'im drunk during the poker game and keep dropping hints,"_ he said.

_"Yes."_ Joseph nodded in agreement as he sipped more of his champagne.

"I work my way from place to place, tramp steamers and such. But I won my ticket on Titanic here in a lucky hand at poker. A very lucky hand," Jack explained. He looked at Rose again, who smiled into her champagne glass.

"All life is a game of luck," Colonel Gracie commented.

"A real man makes his own luck, Archie," Cal interjected. "Right, Dawson?" he asked, looking pointedly at Jack.

"Mhmm." Jack nodded.

"And you find that sort of rootless existence appealing do you?" Ruth asked haughtily. At this, Molly shot Ruth a disapproving glare.

"Oh yes, Ma'am, I do." Jack brushed it off. "I've got everything I need right here; the air in my lungs and a few blank sheets of paper. I mean I love waking up in the morning not knowing what's gonna happen or who I'm gonna meet. Where I'm gonna wind up. Just the other night I was sleeping under a bridge, and now here I am on the grandest ship in the world having champagne with you fine people," he told them. He finished chewing his bread roll and raised his glass for more champagne.

"I figure life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You never know what hand you'll get dealt next," he continued. "You learn to take life as it comes at you...oh, here you go, Cal!" Jack tossed a pack of matches across the table to a startled Cal, who'd just barely caught them. "To make each day count."

"Well said, Jack," Molly said with a warm smile.

"Here! Here!" Colonel Gracie proposed a toast.

"To making it count." Rose smiled at Jack as she raised her champagne glass.

"To make it count!" Everyone echoed, raising their glasses. Jack nodded, smiling. He raised his own glass before taking a sip with everyone else.

Down in third class, dinner was also going on. Tommy and Shannon were sitting at a table in the back of the room with Fabrizio, Helga and her parents, and the Gunderson cousins. Björn and Olaus were having a conversation in Swedish, Fabrizio and Helga were making goo goo eyes at each other, and Mr. and Mrs. Dahl were watching Helga and Fabrizio to make sure the latter kept his hands where they could see them.

Shannon blew on a spoonful of hot soup. "Do you think Jack's been able to get any information on Joseph or his mysterious partner yet?" she whispered in her boyfriend's ear.

Tommy shrugged and took a bite of his bread roll. "I dunno, I'll be really pissed if he doesn't find out anything, though," he whispered back, a sharp edge in his tone.

"Yes, but don't blame Jack if he comes back with nothing, remember it could just be that Joseph and this partner of his didn't want to talk about themselves," Shannon reminded him, softly patting his hand.

"Yeah, I know. I just need to find out what the hell is wrong with my brother, it's so strange..." Tommy explained, shaking his head. "I hate to admit this, but I'm sort of worried about him," he added in a low whisper, taking a huge gulp of his beer.

"I know you are, love. Whatever they're up to, we'll figure it out," Shannon told him with a soft smile.

Tommy nodded and took another bite of his roast beef. "It's been five years since I've seen him and now all of this mysterious shite is goin' on... I just don't get it," he mumbled.

Shannon glanced at him as she ate another spoonful of her soup. "I don't either, so let's just not think about it for now. We'll ask Jack as soon as he gets back from first class," she said.

"All right," Tommy agreed, putting his arm around his girlfriend.

"Okay." Shannon smiled and rested her head against his shoulder.

Fabrizio looked over at them. "So a' what time is 'dis party again?" he wanted to know.

Tommy shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. I think as soon as everyone starts heading up to the general room after they eat, then they'll start the music," he replied.

"I excited to a' meet more people," Fabrizio told him happily, grabbing some bread.

"Yeah, us as well," Shannon agreed, smiling at him.

Just then, little Cora Cartmell came running up to their table and tapped Fabrizio's shoulder. "Where's Uncle Jack?" she asked, her beady bright brown eyes twinkling in the dim lighting of the room.

Fabrizio turned around in his chair and smiled at the small girl in front of him. "He up eating his dinner with 'da first class people I think," he told her.

"Why?" Cora asked curiously.

"He a' got invited," Fabrizio replied simply.

"Why?" Cora prodded, somewhat confused. She didn't understand why a third class passenger would be invited to eat in first class; for, she hadn't heard of his heroic tale of saving the ginger-haired first class girl's life. She also just really enjoyed asking questions.

"Hey, Cora, where's your dad?" Shannon interjected, in an attempt to put an end to the sequence of questions. No matter how adorable she was, it was getting rather annoying while they were trying to eat.

"Why?" Cora asked, glancing from Fabrizio to Shannon.

"Nevermind..." Shannon sighed with a small eye roll, waving dismissively as she went back to eating her soup. Tommy shook his head, chuckling quietly into his beer glass. Cora didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, okay," she said. "Well, I gotta go find my daddy now, bye!" she added, skipping off again.

"Dat' a' little girl is a ball of energy," Fabrizio laughed, taking a swig of his beer.

Back in first class, the waiters were starting to bring out the main courses. Everyone seemed to have ordered some sort of seafood dish. Several conversation topics were floating around the table at this point and the waiters poured more champagne into their glasses.

Jack decided it would be a good time to start asking Joseph and Carrick more questions. "So, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Mooney... I overheard you saying that you were businessmen. What sort of business do you do?" he asked curiously.

Joseph coughed into his sleeve. "Trading, nothing special," he replied casually, sipping his champagne.

"I see, so do you guys work for a company?" Jack prodded, biting into his salmon.

"Er...yes," Joseph replied.

"But it's just a small one, you wouldn't know of it," Carrick interjected quickly.

"If you're looking to expand it, Hockley Steel is on the lookout for more companies to partner with," Cal offered with a prideful grin.

Joseph simply nodded and took a bite of his lobster. "We'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Mr. Hockley," he said.

Jack glanced across the table at Rose, noticing that she was secretly writing down some of the things that Joseph and Carrick were saying. "So, uh, where are you guys from anyways?" he asked them.

"Ireland, can't you tell by the accents?" Carrick replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, yeah, makes sense." Jack nodded.

"Wait, I thought you gentleman boarded in Southampton though?" Rose interjected suddenly. She remembered seeing them on the first day of the voyage.

"We did, er... business," Joseph explained, starting to sound a bit jittery and uncomfortable. He coughed into his sleeve again.

"I see," Rose said with an awkward smile. "Do you go on a lot of business trips?" she asked.

"Er, no, not really..." Carrick responded, shooting a nervous glance at his colleague.

Ruth glanced at her daughter and cocked a skeptical eyebrow. "First you flirt with that Dawson man, now you seem to be so interested in Mr. Ryan and Mr. Mooney...how many times do I have to tell you, Rose? You will marry Mr. Hockley and that is final!" she whispered harshly. She didn't like the fact that her daughter was talking to so many other men.

Rose's eyes widened. "Now I can't even have a friendly conversation without you nagging me?" she hissed back, annoyed. She knew she couldn't tell her mother what was really going on, so she just sat back in her chair with a huff.

Cal glared at her. "Well, you certainly seem to have a lot of questions, sweetpea," he muttered under his breath. Rose rolled her eyes at him.

Sensing all the tension, Molly decided to take over the conversation. She took a huge bite of her lobster and said, "Hey I've got an idea, who's got a funny story to share?"

Colonel Gracie smacked his hand against the table. "I do," he offered. "Just the other day when I was boarding the ship, I stumbled and bumped into one of the officers, knocking off his hat!" he exclaimed with a slight chuckle. "And I apologized of course, I said.. _"So sorry, Chief Officer Wilde!"..._ and he smiled politely at me and said... _"Thank you, but I'm actually First Officer Murdoch!"_ I can't remember a time when my face was a brighter shade of red!"

Everyone at the table roared with laughter. "That's a good one, Arch!" Molly exclaimed, taking a swig of champagne.

"I have a story," The Countess announced, causing all eyes to shift towards her. "This afternoon I asked one of the stewards to bring me a cup of tea. I waited for about thirty minutes and when he finally returned; he brought me scones. He said _"Oh, I thought you were the lady who ordered all those scones, I'm sorry Miss, I fear I've given your tea to someone else!"_ He was so embarassed so I tipped him anyways," she told them, accidentally letting out a rather unladylike snicker.

That in itself caused everyone to crack up again. "You know what they say, good help is hard to come by!" Sir Cosmo joked.

"How about you guys?" Jack asked, nodding towards Joseph and Carrick, who were whispering to each other again. He was looking for subtle ways to get more information out of them.

Joseph cleared his throat loudly. He was annoyed at the interruption, as he had more serious matters to discuss with his partner, but knew he had to play along so they wouldn't look as if they were up to something.

"Well, I suppose I could tell you about my little brother Tommy," he started. Hearing this, Jack and Rose shared a glance. If there had still been any doubts before, now they were one hundred percent positive that they were secretly interrograting the right men. "I've got a story that happened about six years ago where he made an utter fool of himself trying to impress his wee girlfriend, it's pretty funny actually," he reminisced. He figured that if he had to tell a funny story, what better story to tell than one where he could poke fun at his younger brother.

"Go on, Ryan! We wanna hear it!" Molly urged him. Jack and Rose both nodded eagerly, hoping they could find out more about him.

"All right," Joseph agreed. "So he was like fifteen years old and his little girlfriend was like twelve. She's out in the street with the other village girls playing some skipping game and singing My Aunt Jane, an old Northern Irish street song. Anyways, Tommy runs out there, right in the middle of their game. He trips over the rope and lands right on top of his wee girlfriend, getting her dress all muddy. I was watching from the other side of the street... his face turned bright red and he just sprinted right out of there," he told them with a slight chuckle.

More laughter erupted around the table. "Your brother sounds like quite the charmer," Colonel Gracie joked.

Guggenheim nodded. "You must have hundreds of stories about him, eh?" he asked curiously.

Joseph shrugged and sipped more of his champagne. "Eh, not really..." he began, but stopped himself when another idea popped into his head about how he could further poke fun at the likes of his brother. "Well...there was this one other story, same girl too," he said. Everyone nodded eagerly and he continued.

"He was like sixteen and use to get into our father's whiskey stash. One evening, he drank so much and had to relieve himself really bad, and our mam had locked us out of the house because they were having tea with our father's old sailor buddies. So instead of going in our yard, he runs down the street to his little girlfriend's house. The first thing he sees laying in their yard is her mam's favorite cooking pot, and just whizzes right in it. Sure enough, little Shannon O'Neal comes outside and catches him, and no matter what good friends they were; she screams like hell for her daddy. I had to work extra hard to help my parents pay for a new cooking pot for Mrs. O'Neal to replace the one Tommy ruined," he told them.

"Oh dear, that ain't good!" Molly laughed. Needless to say, Ruth, Lady Lucille, the Countess, and Madame Aubert didn't find it as funny as she did. The men, however, continued roaring with laughter; except for Cal.

Carrick, though he'd enjoyed both stories, nudged his partner's arm. "I admit I too was a fan of the embarassing Tommy stories, but perhaps you shouldn't tell any more. You were the one who didn't think we should reveal too much about where we came from, after all," he whispered.

Joseph nodded, realizing that his colleague was right. "True, that was the last story I'll tell," he agreed quietly.

"And wasn't it you who pissed in the cooking pot?" Carrick asked with a low snicker.

"Indeed it was, but I couldn't very well admit to that here, now could I?" Joseph smirked and bit into his salmon. "But Tommy boy really did embarass himself in that skipping game," he added. Carrick chuckled quietly.

Meanwhile down in steerage, the after-dinner party was off to a good start. Mick and a few other Irish passengers had taken their instruments out and were warming up to play Humors of Glendart.

Tommy, Shannon, Fabrizio, and Helga all found a table near the center of the large general room to sit at together. The Gundersons walked over and stood next to their table because there wasn't enough room for everyone to sit down. Mr. and Mrs. Dahl wandered around nearby, still keeping a close eye on their daughter.

"Here we go, it's not a party til' the beer comes out," Tommy said, coming back from the far side of the room with a handful of beers and setting them down on their table. "One for my sweet," he said, sliding a glass to his girlfriend.

"Thanks, love." Shannon smiled at him, eagerly taking a sip of her beer.

"Of course, sweet." Tommy grinned at her. "And here's one fer you guys; Fabri, Helga, Björn, an' Olaus," he said, passing out the rest of the beers.

"Grazie, Tommy!" Fabrizio thanked him.

"Ja, takk!" Helga agreed, smiling as she tasted the dark alcohol.

"Tack," the Gunderson cousins echoed, raising their glasses.

"We toast because we all going to America, eh?" Fabrizio suggested with a happy grin. They all nodded in response. "To America!" he yelled.

"To America!" they echoed, clinking their glasses together.

Just then, Mick yelled out to the crowd, "Lads grab yer ladies! Humors of Glendart!" He sat back down and played a low note on his pipes. The other steerage band members proceeded to pick up their fiddles, a bodhran, some clackers, and even a mandolin as they got ready to start playing.

"I love this song!" Shannon exclaimed, a gleam of delight shimmering in her bright blue eyes.

"Let's get out there then!" Tommy shouted with a silly smirk, offering her his hand. Shannon let out an airy giggle as she took his hand, allowing him to lead her out into the middle of the room. "Come 'ere, sweet," Tommy whispered, flashing her another silly smirk as he gently pulled her against him. His hands wandered down her back, resting comfortably around her waist.

Back at the table, Fabrizio got out of his chair and stood up in front of Helga. "You dance with me, eh?" he asked.

Helga stared at him, confused. "Hva?" she asked. She hadn't understood him.

"You-" Fabrizio pointed to her. "-dance-" He did a little jig. "-with me." He pointed to himself.

"Oh! Ja!" Helga exclaimed happily, allowing him to pull her to her feet. He led her out onto the makeshift dance floor, ignoring the pointed glare of her father, who was standing close by.

Tommy held his girlfriend close to him as they skipped around the room. Shannon rested her head against his chest for a second and rubbed her face against his soft white shirt. She inhaled slowly, noticing that it smelled like a mixture of fresh baked bread and the ocean, two smells that so reminded her of being back home in their small village in County Donegal. She smiled, completely content.

Suddenly, a drunk man with red hair stumbled over and tried to cut in. "Get the hell outta here ya pisspot, get your own lass!" Tommy growled possessively, pushing the man away. "You all right, sweet?" he asked, softly kissing his girlfriend on the lips.

"Eye, never better, love," Shannon replied with a tipsy giggle. "So long as you hold me like this all night," she whispered slyly, ruffling his scruffy light brown curls.

"I love ya, Shan." Tommy grinned.

"I love you, Tom." Shannon kissed his sweaty forehead. It was getting a bit warm from all the people dancing around in the crowded general room.

* * *

><p>Okay so it's like 2AM and I needed to post this once and for all, so I'll probably add more stuff tomorrow because I'm still not sure if I love it so far.<p>

Again, sorry for the ridiculous wait time. Please tell me what you think, your feedback means the world to me! :)


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